To Dream of Nationals
by Frog-kun
Summary: OC fic, mostly action and friendship-themed. Currently being rewritten. A slice-of-life sports drama following the struggles of Seigaku's girls team. Ch 4: In which there is tennis.
1. Tadano Kaeru

**Author's note: **This is a rewrite of one of my earlier fics. If you've read the older TDoN, then the changes I've made are pretty much this: extra arcs and subplots, some changes in character names and relationships and general smoothing over of the writing. I'm leaving the old version up for now if you want to compare, but I don't recommend new readers look at it as you might be confused by some of the changes.

If this is your first time reading this fic, I hope you enjoy it! A word of warning before you begin, though: This is a story about tennis. If you're looking for resolved romance between the OCs and the canon characters, then I'm afraid you won't find what you're looking for. Friendship is the dominant theme here, just like in the original PoT. It might take a while before we reach the meat of the tennis action, so please have some patience.

I'll be updating every week and you already have my guarantee that this fic will eventually be completed.

**Ch. 1 Tadano Kaeru**

There were many strange, seemingly random events leading up to it.

That Tadano Kaeru got a recommendation by the principal of Seigaku was one of the events near the end of the chain. Kaeru, who spent most of her time either in hospital or with a video game in hand, had no inkling of Seigaku's unique reputation. She simply peered at the letter when she got it, passed it nonchalantly to her parents and then resumed playing her file on her game.

The days after that were a flurry of preparations mostly which she did not understand but went along with anyway. She was fitted with the school uniform, something which Kaeru's parents seemed to find particularly fascinating. They gasped in awe when they first saw Kaeru in it; they took photos of her and then promptly invited their friends and relatives over to come and take a look as well.

Then there was the meeting with the principal. The short, middle-aged bespectacled gentleman shook hands with Kaeru and asked her how she felt before proceeding to ignore her altogether as he immersed himself in conversation with her parents for the next half-hour. If Kaeru did not have her DS with her, she would have been forced to entertain herself by looking at the portraits of past principals hanging up the side walls. Fortunately, she did have her DS at the time.

About a month and a half later, the first day of term began.

**

* * *

**

Kawamura Takashi looked up from where he was sweeping when the door of his father's sushi shop slid open.

"Ah, Tadano!" he exclaimed, taking off one hand from the mop so he could wave at the girl.

Kaeru hobbled into the store. She had slightly messy black hair and fringe and a small, somewhat underdeveloped body for a girl of fourteen. Her solemn eyes flitted around the store before latching onto Kawamura. Usually, they were her most noticeable feature, although today something was different.

"Did something happen?" he asked. He was gazing anxiously at Kaeru's left leg, which had a cast around it.

Kaeru shifted her weight on her crutches before she slowly tilted her head up. She opened her mouth to answer.

At that moment, her mother entered the shop.

"It's Kaeru's first day of school tomorrow!" she announced proudly. "Her first day at a normal middle school!" She was a slim sort of woman and rather youthful for her age. Her face was slightly round and bubbly like her daughter's, although her eyes twinkled, indicating a life well spent in laughter and smiling. Kaeru seemed to have inherited her solemn eyes from her father.

"Oh," said Kawamura, smiling, "you transferred to Seigaku, didn't you? I can show you around."

Behind him, he heard his friend Eiji snicker. He probably got the wrong idea about all of this. Kawamura sighed.

"Kawamura-kun," Kaeru said. Her voice was a bit thick and when she spoke, her words were deliberate and slow, as if she was not really used to conversation. "I want sushi."

Tadano Kaeru was one of the regular customers.

After some deliberation, Kaeru finished making her purchase all by herself and her mother seemed immensely proud of her for that. "Now, Kaeru-chan," she said, "Mama will be busy in the afternoon so won't be able to pick you up from school tomorrow. You can take the train home yourself, yes, Kaeru-chan?" Kawamura assumed Kaeru nodded because her mother laughed and patted her hair affectionately. "That's a good girl."

He sighed when the door closed behind the two of them and they were soon gone from sight.

**

* * *

**

Seigaku was a much bigger place than what Kaeru was normally used to. Just the tennis courts were massive. Of course, she had seen this all before on her visit to the principal's so it wasn't really that new.

The different thing was that there were plenty of boys and girls milling around, all of them dressed in the same fascinating uniform Kaeru was wearing. As she hobbled past them, she noticed some of them turned to look at her while others were more focused on their chatting.

A man stood by the entrance of the main building, his hands shoved into the pockets of his trenchcoat. His jet black hair was a little unkempt, just like Kaeru's. When she saw him, she said, "Hello, uncle."

He smiled and patted her head, and a few girls standing nearby glanced curiously in their way.

"That's Tadano-sensei's niece?" The girl who spoke was slim and tall for her age, carrying herself more like a model from a fashion magazine than an everyday student. There was something exotic and foreign about the girl's appearance; she certainly could not have been pure Japanese. She had long, clean blonde hair done up in two low ponytails and her nose was shapely, although her face was slightly pinched.

The girl standing next to her gazed on shyly. "I hope we can be friends," she interjected bashfully. She was a girl with dimples and bright green, shining eyes.

A girl with long, flaming red hair and an evidently keen athletic body shape underneath her uniform laughed. "If anyone can do it, it's you, Saeko-chan! I've never met a nicer chick than you!"

Saeko rubbed her shoulders together, fiddled with the grip on her school briefcase and blushed at the compliment.

"Unlike," the red-haired girl went on with a sly grin, "a certain Frenchie. It's one thing she'll never be the best a-"

She was promptly hit over the head by the first girl's school briefcase.

"OUCH! Case in point, I say!"

"Hmph," came the scornful reply. "I don't know why I even bother with you."

Ignoring the violence going on in the background, Saeko looked at Kaeru and smiled. Kaeru did not smile back at her. Instead, she gazed solemnly back at her, as if in quiet acknowledgment of the the deed.

The bell rang for class, and everything jerked back into the present.

**

* * *

**

Several days passed.

"All right, I'm giving back the results of that pretest we did yesterday," Tadano-sensei told the students of class 3-6 later that day. "Some of you did very well; some of you will need to work a bit harder." He began to pass the papers around.

Each test paper had the mark of the test expressed in percentage form written in red ink. If that number was not enough of an indication already, Tadano-sensei had the habit of drawing what was his idea of a "rabbit" (the term was used very loose in this case as the rabbit in question more strongly resembled a blob with two asymmetrical lines attached to its head). This rabbit was either smiling or it had a maniacal grin on its face as if it strongly wanted to blow the Empire State Building up.

The rabbit on Kaeru's test had a maniacal grin on its face. Kaeru supposed that indicated the rabbit's disappointment with her test result, which was 21 per cent. The only questions that Kaeru had gotten right were the ones that Tadano-sensei, in his laziness, had taken from the latest Professor Layton game.

"Maths is not your forte, I see," Tadano-sensei said as he gave Kaeru her test paper. "Come to the front and see me later so I can help you with your problems."

As the girl hobbled up towards her uncle and teacher, two boys were whispering. Eiji turned to Fuji and said to him, "You noticed the same thing as I did, right?"

"And what was it?" Fuji asked him, smiling. Oh, he knew, all right.

"Come on, Fuji." (The fact that Kikumaru addressed his friend as 'Fuji' instead of 'Fujiko' meant that he was serious.) "Her leg. In Taka-san's restaurant, the cast was on her left leg."

"Well, you've got the sharpest eyes on the team," Fuji remarked.

Eiji smiled at the compliment but his mind quickly went back to what he saw. "That new girl, Tadano Kaeru – that was her name, right? – She's strange. She can use both of her legs perfectly fine. I wonder what she's hiding."

"I don't know about that," said Fuji, "but I do know you missed a step of working in that question." He pointed at Eiji's test paper. The rabbit on it had a maniacal grin on its face.

"You're so unfair, Fujiko-chan!" Eiji whined. "I thought I had that one in the bag, nya!"

Which showed how good Kikumaru was at concentrating on one thing.

**

* * *

**

After school was over and tennis practice was complete, Fuji and Eiji said goodbye at the school gate and each went their separate ways. Eiji hoisted his tennis bag up his shoulder and set off, whistling. Even though he had not done so well on that maths pretest, there was still a spring in his step.

The day was quite late now. Afternoon had almost progressed into evening – almost but not quite. There was still plenty enough light to guide him home, and Eiji liked the thought of his destination. Home was good. His sister was cooking tonight and her Indian dishes were nice.

His mind was filled with curry and rice, although suffice it to say his eyes weren't. As he was walking by the street tennis courts en-route to his house, he caught sight of the girl from the classroom earlier.

"Kaeru-chan!" he exclaimed. The girl turned her head around. She had been watching the street tennis, her crutches neatly folded by her bag. There was no leg cast in sight.

So Kikumaru had been right about her.

Kaeru blinked and displayed no real shock at her secret being revealed. She actually had no idea who Eiji was, just that he seemed vaguely familiar. Maybe he was that red-headed person in her class who 'nya'-ed a lot. Peculiar person.

She said nothing as he approached her and touched her shoulder.

"You like tennis?" he smiled. "I like tennis too, nya!"

He made no comment about her legs. Maybe he had sheer forgotten about it.

Kaeru mumbled something. "What was that?" Eiji asked.

"Please go away," said Kaeru. She wasn't tearful or emotional or anything, just a simple request on her part.

"Not until you tell me what's up with your legs."

"Not supposed to push myself."

She didn't bother to elaborate and simply cocked her head and looked at him, expecting that simple, vague explanation to clarify all possible questions.

She said nothing more.

Eiji blinked. So Kaeru got to her feet and demonstrated walking. Only it didn't look like walking. It looked like hopping. She was so bow-legged that hopping was the only thing she could do. Eiji sat down and pondered the girl's condition. If he had legs like her, his diving volleys would be fantastic. The momentum of the hops would generate so much more power. The girl probably had stronger knees than most if she had to hop everywhere. Kikumaru could only manage a few dozen hops himself and then he was out of gas. So, if he thought about it that way…

"Waaahh! I'm so jealous, nya!"

If a person's face could become blanker, Kaeru managed it at that moment. Eiji looked up into her face and noticed something else.

Her eyes. In spite of being ashen-coloured, they did not seem very cold. They were very wide and seemingly out-of-focus, but actually they noticed everything.

In the silence that reigned, Eiji surreptitiously picked up a rock on the ground, walked behind Kaeru and then hurled the rock at her.

Kaeru instantly tilted her head so that the rock harmlessly passed by her. She frowned and turned to face Kikumaru. If she was even slightly more expressive, she probably would have screamed at him.

"What stunning reflexes," Eiji breathed. "With eyes like those, it must be like you've got eyes in the back of your head. A normal person wouldn't have seen that rock coming. With those legs and eyes you'd make a great net player, just like me! What do you think?"

Kaeru thought long and hard about her personal opinion.

"Good," she said finally.

Her perfectly articulate response was very pleasing to Eiji. "Nya!" he interposed after he had a moment to think. "Let's play tennis! I have two racquets in my bag."

Kaeru didn't actually get any say in the matter, although it wasn't as if she was going to dispute. The boy before her reminded her of her mother.

They stepped onto the courts. "Yahoo!" Eiji called out to the people who were playing. "Are these courts free to play on?"

The boys on court stopped their rally and turned to face Eiji. "Yeah," a boy with dirty blonde hair sneered. "But if you want to play you'll have to beat us at doubles."

"Fine by me," Eiji responded. He tugged on Kaeru's arm. "Let's do it, Kaeru-chan!"

The other boy, a fat-cheeked and squinty-eyed male, said, "Check out their uniforms! It looks like they're from Seigaku! Are you regulars?"

It was then the first boy seemed to take his first proper look at Eiji. "I've heard of you!" he said suddenly. "Kikumaru Eiji – one half of the Golden Pair who went all the way to the Nationals!"

Kaeru blinked in surprise. Nationals?

"Hey, it doesn't matter," the second boy sneered. "That girl ain't Oishi. Come on, we can beat 'em."

Kaeru remembered Eiji had never told her his name. Maybe he presumed because other random strangers knew him she would too? At least she knew the boy's name was Kikumaru now.

She watched as Eiji deftly twisted his racquet around and caught it. He was definitely in serious mode now. Anyone who knew him was aware that this was when he was most dangerous as a tennis player. He never could back down from a challenge.

"Who's serving first?" he asked.

They spun the racquet to decide. The boy team was serving first. It was to be a one-game knockout match.

As Eiji was walking to the baseline, Kaeru found herself remembering she ought to say something. She settled on his name. "Kikumaru-kun."

"Call me Eiji," was the reply. "Okay, Kaeru-chan, stand there by the net. I'll cover for you, nya."

And Kaeru did what he said.

The first boy served a rather slow lob serve. Without hesitation, Eiji returned the ball cross-court. Somehow the opposing baseline player managed to get his racquet to it, although the ball was sent over the net at drop shot pace – straight towards Kaeru's forehand.

"Volley it, Kaeru-chan!" Eiji cheered.

Kaeru hopped towards the ball, swung at the volley – and completely missed it.

"Fifteen love," announced the boy at the side who was scoring.

Oh, okay.

"Um, Kaeru-chan," Eiji said suddenly. "Have you ever played tennis before?"

"No."

"Nya…" he exhaled heavily. "You don't swing at a volley. You just hold your wrist firm."

"Okay."

"It's all right. Just concentrate, nya."

Eiji stood by the net and Kaeru went back to the baseline. Meanwhile, the boys had switched sides of the court. The service return was now on Kaeru.

The boy at the other end served. Slowly, the ball bounced into the service box. Kaeru's eyes locked onto it. She swung the racquet hard. This time, she actually _hit the ball_. With the frame of the racquet.

It made a funny sound. _Plop_. It bounced gently off the net and onto the ground.

"Thirty love."

"Well, you are a beginner," Eiji sighed.

The players got into position once more. Eiji returned the serve with a down-the-line winner. The shot could easily have been returned by another Seigaku regular but to a complete beginner like Kaeru, Eiji's forehand was sheer captivating to watch.

"Thirty fifteen," was the score.

It was Kaeru's return again. She was starting to feel nervous whenever she hit the ball. Maybe it was because the opposition looked noticeably happier when serving to her.

Somehow she managed a return of the serve. Her shot only barely crept over the net. She had been so concerned with actually hitting it in that she had forgotten that she was not meant to aim at the net player.

The net player took aim and hit the ball clean past Kaeru. When Kaeru spun around to track the progress of the ball, it seemed to her that it was going to be in.

_Uh oh_.

Before Kaeru could have more time to inwardly lament, Eiji darted to the side. With a dive, he intercepted the ball just before it bounced on the doubles line. The ball flew past the net player and landed just short of the baseline – a perfect passing shot.

He turned and winked at Kaeru. "Nice shot, Kaeru-chan, nya!"

Oh, yay.

Kaeru paused. Scrunched her brows in thought.

Wasn't Eiji the one who hit the "good shot"?

**

* * *

**

"Thirty all." The match continued.

Eiji returned the opponent's serve, and the baseline player hit the ball back into Kaeru's volleying range, just like in the first point. The only difference was that the first shot had been aimed directly at her; the second shot was well over a metre to the right.

It was in that moment Kaeru showed a glimmer of her potential as a tennis player. A beginner would have found the ball out of reach but Kaeru jumped – and she could jump a lot further than most people in one leap. She managed to get her racquet to the ball.

It was a pity she hit the ball into the net.

"Forty thirty."

"Nice try, Kaeru-chan!" Eiji called out behind her. "That was a hard volley to get back in. I knew you had good reflexes, nya!"

If Kaeru had been given time to reflect, she would have found it nice how Eiji was constantly encouraging her as any good doubles partner would do.

But right now, all Kaeru was thinking about was the fact that, from what she could gather about how tennis was scored, this was the last point. She was getting surprisingly into the game. Maybe she should try returning the serve this time

This she did and Kaeru surprised herself and others by hitting a hard flat shot down the middle. When had she become so strong? No, it wasn't strength. She was finally starting to get some technique. At last, she had managed to hit the ball right in the centre of the racquet. That was needed more than any amount of muscle.

Her opponents were so surprised at Kaeru's sudden aggression that they fumbled for her ball and missed.

"WOOHOO!" Eiji cheered and lost no time glomping Kaeru. Yes, glomping Kaeru.

Kaeru herself was much too stunned to even care about being glomped.

"How did she hit that ball?" the first boy muttered. "I thought she was hopeless."

"Don't worry," the second boy whispered back. "It was probably just a fluke."

The score was deuce.

"What's deuce?" Kaeru asked Eiji as they took their positions on the court.

"Something you drink," Eiji answered.

"Okay." Kaeru nodded solemnly.

Eiji blanched, realising the potential misunderstanding that had occurred. "Deuce is when the score is forty all. You must win two points in a row to win the game. If you win one game and lose the next, the score goes back to deuce."

Kaeru said nothing to that. The game could go forever. If that was the case, she might not be able to play video games ever again.

Eiji grinned, apparently having read her thoughts. "This is where the real battle begins, nya."

And so it was. Whenever one side won a point, the other would take it back to deuce. The opponents seemed to have developed a fail-proof strategy called: "Just hit the ball to the girl." The sad part was that it actually worked.

"Aim higher, Kaeru-chan," Eiji told her, when it became obvious to him and to everyone else around him that his partner's most popular target seemed to be the net. "Look at the ball when you hit it."

Another deadly flaw in Kaeru's game was her backhand. She was starting to get the hang of the forehand but when she swung the racquet, she held on it with one hand as she had seen Eiji do. She had much less power and control than she would have liked.

What if, she thought suddenly, she used two hands?

When the next shot to her backhand came to her, Kaeru placed her left hand above her right hand. Without really thinking about it, she turned the grip around until the racquet face was perfectly in line with the ball. Then she stepped forward and hit the ball as hard as she could.

It was exactly the same type of flat shot from before and it was a winner.

"Amazing," Eiji muttered. "It's her first game and she managed to teach herself the double-handed backhand."

The double-handed had slightly more power and control than the one-handed, although Eiji didn't use it because the one-handed had better reach and he was a serve-volleyer.

"Advantage receiver."

It was the first time in the game Eiji and Kaeru had the advantage. The opponents were starting to look worried.

"Lob her!" the first boy exclaimed. "Hit it to her forehand!"

They tried to lob her but the ball came a bit short. Eiji took the shot.

He jumped at the ball and hit it while in midair. He seemed so acrobatic up in the air, like he was perfectly at home up there. And Kaeru saw it again – Eiji's wonderful forehand.

"Kikumaru Beam!"

BAM.

And the ball was a winner.

"Game and match to the Tadano-Kikumaru team," the scoring boy declared. He looked very confused.

And so did the boys who had lost.

"What kind of shot was that Kikumaru Beam?"

"Looks like Kikumaru's too good for us."

"WE WON, NYA! Kaeru-chan, let me give you a hug," said Eiji.

Kaeru stopped him with the racquet in her hand. She thought it would be nice to give it back to him. With that, she picked up her bag, got back on her crutches and hobbled away. Eiji couldn't see her face but she was smiling inwardly. And he knew it.

"Bye bye, Kaeru chan!" He waved. Then he stopped and considered something.

"NYA! Sis's curry must be stone cold by now!"

**

* * *

**

That night as Kaeru was taking a bath, she thought back to the tennis match. The casual observer might not have seen the subtle upward turn of the corners of her lips.

She had never felt as alive as she had on the tennis courts. Adrenaline pumping through her veins, the satisfaction of hitting a clean winner… Not even video games offered any of these. The only thing that saddened her was that she hadn't discovered tennis sooner. She was fourteen and in ninth grade but there was plenty more living to do.

She blinked and scrubbed herself and her thoughts began to take a different direction. Eiji had gone to Nationals. _Nationals_…

**

* * *

**

"You want to join the tennis club?"

Faced with the sight of her uncle's bemused face, Kaeru could only nod.

"I see," said Tadano-sensei. "I see."

Kaeru waited expectantly for him to say more. Maybe, she thought, it wasn't a good idea to push herself physically. Maybe that was what Tadano-sensei would say.

"Go ahead," he said, surprising her.

She blinked.

"You've only got one chance, right?" he said to her. "Your mother wants you to live your life to the fullest while you can. That's why you're here at Seigaku."

Kaeru thought about the events that led up to her enrolling in Seigaku, about what the doctor said, about how she was meant to live her life a year from now. She thought about how it felt to play tennis.

She agreed with what her uncle said next.

"Have as much fun as you want. You'll never be able to do it again." His smile seemed somewhat sad to her. "To dream of Nationals."

**

* * *

**

That same afternoon, Eiji and Fuji were walking past the girls' tennis courts on the way to practice. Eiji noticed something out of the corner of his eye and turned to look.

Tadano Kaeru had joined the girls' tennis team and was on the courts being taught how to serve. Eiji's face broke into a wide smile.

"Doesn't it feel great when you help someone out?" he remarked to Fuji.

"Yes," Fuji smiled. "It's the best feeling on earth."

Eiji will never know whether Fuji was serious or not. But he was feeling too gratified to care.

**

* * *

**

**Tennis seminar of the week:** You actually can swing at a volley. That's called a 'Drive Volley' or 'Drive B' as it's referred to in PoT. The Williams sisters in particular used the Drive Volley when they played Doubles together. It's a difficult shot to perfect especially when the ball's coming fast. But remember Ryoma's match against Yuuta? (In my opinion, his pants ought to have worn out during that match, but… moving on…) Most people hit the Drive Volley only to finish off a point.


	2. Kaeru loses

**Author's note: **This is the second chapter of TDoN's rewrite. Please check the first chapter for more info about the rewrite and to see where it all begins. So why did I choose to rewrite? This story isn't my best in terms of technical skill and I felt I really stuffed up with the ending. So I'll make sure this time we have a good ending, but with all the nice groundwork to go with it.

Here we go with the second chapter!

**Ch. 2 Kaeru Loses**

It took almost a week for Kaeru to actually speak to anyone. The reason was quite simple, really.

She fell in love.

With a wall.

The general story went like this:

Kaeru stared at the wall. The wall stared back at her. "Come play tennis with me!" it seemed to say, in an ever so enticing tone. Kaeru knew at that moment that she was going to play tennis. Thus, she played. Every five or so shots, she would duck around the wall and retrieve her ball because she kept hitting it over.

Gradually, she got better.

After an hour of consecutive play, Kaeru thought, "That was a good rally. I'll hit another one like that and I'll finish."

Every time she hit a similar rally, the same thought flashed through her mind.

Three hours later, she was still there.

Love sickness caused strange things.

* * *

"You seem like you're having fun." Someone was speaking to her. Kaeru blinked and looked into the face of the girl with the bright green eyes. Kaeru remembered her because she was the one who had smiled on the first day of school.

The girl… was friendly. "I'm Fukawa Saeko. I'm in eighth grade," the girl said. "And you are?"

"Tadano Kaeru. Ninth grade."

Kaeru wanted to say more and perhaps tell Saeko something about herself but she could not articulate any words to say.

Saeko regarded Kaeru in her silence and smiled. "Playing against the wall, huh? I'll leave you to it."

Kaeru watched her go.

* * *

When she first joined the club, the other members introduced themselves in turn, although she almost immediately forgot their names. The only one that really stuck was 'Kaya Devereaux' and that was only because her surname was French. She had no idea what Kaya Devereaux even looked like.

There was also a captain and a vice-captain. All that Kaeru could remember about them was that they were not horrid, not that it mattered to her either way. Even if they were like that and made her dress in a cosplay maid outfit and wash the dishes, she probably would not have minded. She might have pointed out that she'd never done anything remotely maid-related in her life and so would probably accidentally burn down the clubroom. But that was not the real problem at hand.

The problem with Kaeru was that she had no idea how to act around people.

This only occurred to her one day when Kawamura mentioned it to her. She was having her usual meal at Kawamura sushi when the shop owner's son said something about congratulations for joining the tennis team.

And then -

"So have you been making lots of friends?"

Kaeru simply stared at him in answer.

* * *

"Oh, Kaeru-chan!" said an unidentified male person when she was on her way to the tennis courts. "Hello there!"

It had to be Eiji. Kaeru looked up. Indeed it was.

"Hello," she said.

"How's your tennis going, Kaeru-chan?" Eiji asked.

"Good."

"As talkative as ever, I see! You haven't changed at all since class twenty minutes ago, nya!"

Kaeru vaguely wondered whether there was something about tennis that attracted weirdos. Not that she really minded Eiji's eccentricities; she found it all very amusing.

Then she remembered the gist of her conversation with Kawamura.

"Eiji-kun. How do you make lots of friends?"

Eiji blinked. "Hey… I dunno… I just be myself. Um…" He snapped his head up. "Oishi! Help me! How do you make lots of friends?"

And thus the question prodded so relentlessly at Eiji that he completely forgot about Kaeru's existence. Poor, poor girl.

After another session of tennis, Kaeru began to make her way home. Her solidarity was broken only by the sight of Saeko at the school gate. Saeko looked up, smiled and waved. "Hi, Kaeru-senpai!"

"Hello."

"How's your tennis going, Kaeru-senpai?"

"Good." Didn't this sound like a conversation from earlier on in the day?

She realised that right now was the perfect opportunity to finally _make a friend_.

Kaeru felt herself welling with resolve. _Just be yourself_, Eiji had told her.

"Fukawa-san."

"Yes?"

Kaeru scrunched her brows together in concentration. She had to nail this shot. "You... You like tennis?"

"Yeah, I do," Saeko answered. "I started learning it last year. How about you?"

"Last week."

"Not as easy as it looks, is it? Hahaha!"

Kaeru watched, stunned yet fascinated, while Saeko's mouth crinkled in laughter. This wasn't as hard as she thought it would be.

* * *

Kaeru's second attempt at making a friend wasn't quite as successful.

It started when Saeko said she would help introduce Kaeru properly to the other team members.

"Don't worry!" Saeko whispered to her comfortingly. "Everyone in the club is really nice! We'll make sure you fit in right away!"

"Okay then," said Kaeru, instantly taking Saeko's word for it. The two of them hadn't quite progressed to saying more than hello and goodbye to each other, but that was okay. Having more people say hello and goodbye to her would surely be a very nice feeling. Maybe they would all stand in a line and say the words in unison for maximum impact. Kaeru felt honoured at the very thought of it.

When they came to the tennis courts, Saeko greeted a blonde-haired girl who was standing beside the door adjusting her racquet strings.

"Kaya-san!" Saeko began, smiling, but the girl at the door was more interested in peering intently at Kaeru. Kaeru stared solemnly back at her.

"She seems familiar," Kaya said.

"This is Kaeru-senpai. She's been a member of the club for about a week," Saeko pointed out. "She only started playing tennis around the time she joined."

"I'm Kaya Devereaux," the girl said, shrugging. "Pleased to meet you."

Then she turned away. That was it. The conversation was over.

Kaeru blinked.

"Er, Kaeru-senpai, do you want to play me?" Saeko suggested nervously.

Kaeru turned to her.

"Okay."

Kaeru and Saeko began hitting the ball to each other as warm-up. Today, Kaeru's shots were slow. When she was not under pressure, her tennis seemed to slump. Or perhaps all those shots last week really had been flukes.

But there was no mistaking the feeling of elation she got when she got to the net and smashed an overhead for a winner. She had felt that feeling before and not so long ago, either.

"Whew, I'm beat!" Saeko smiled as she stepped off the court. Kaeru got the impression that Saeko was not using her full power – far from it. "Good shot, Kaeru-chan!"

"Nationals," Kaeru said suddenly.

"Hm?"

"I like tennis," Kaeru proclaimed. "I want to play Nationals."

What happened next was somewhat surprising.

Kaya stepped onto the court.

"Can I play you next?" she asked.

Although she was a little confused, Kaeru nodded in response.

"Well, then," Kaya said, finally conceding a smile – although not of the friendly and bright variety which Saeko cultivated. "You may serve first."

Kaeru took the ball and bounced it twice. Her mind was racing. She didn't know how to serve. When she recalled how the pros did it on TV, her memory of the sequence was fuzzy at best. There was a ball toss, she knew that, and she had to arch her body somehow. And then… spring up and hit the ball…? How to do that right…?

As she tossed the ball into the air, she noticed something about what Kaya was doing. Kaya stopped crouching and instead, she straightened up and hopped lightly on the spot.

"Watch out!" Saeko suddenly called out. "Kaya-chan is a master of footwork. She can get to any ball!"

Master of footwork? Kaeru felt dazed. What did Saeko mean?

She soon found out. After Kaeru hit the ball in, Kaya jumped and twirled through the air. Kaeru had to do a double take but she couldn't react fast enough. Kaya landed low on her knees and then gracefully swept herself back upright again. As she did so, she twisted her body upwards and hit a slice. The ball landed short over the net.

Kaeru dived and pulled her racquet forward but her effort was not enough. The ball bounced sideways and very low, just out of reach.

She looked up and stared at Kaya. Even a talkative person would have been at a loss for words.

"Never seen slice before?" Kaya asked and she curled her lip slightly.

"Were you dancing?" Kaeru asked shortly. It was the only explanation for Kaya's bizarre footwork she could come up with.

"Kaya-chan plays a very special kind of tennis," said Saeko. "Look at how she stands."

Kaeru looked. Her eyes widened. Kaya was not wearing any shoes, so it was easy to see that she stood on the tips of her toes.

Like a ballet dancer.

"That's right," said Kaya, evidently aware of Kaeru's thought process. "I play Ballet Tennis."

Kaeru wondered how that was even possible.

She found out soon enough.

Kaya was quick. She was so quick that even when Kaeru hit the ball as hard as she could, Kaya had time for all her fancy flips and sequences. Her footwork had enough of a professional tennis player's in it so that the ballet dancing was just an add-on… and a means of throwing off the opponent. And therein lay Kaya's strategy. Kaeru quickly became entranced with watching her play. It would be fair to say that Kaeru forgot to play tennis. She forgot to win.

And before she knew it, Kaeru lost… 6-0.

Any tennis player knows how it feels to lose 6-0. First, there is denial, almost. "I… lost…?" the player thinks, bewildered. Then there is the thought, "I didn't play that right." Then at last, "No, the other person was too good for me."

It hurts.

That is why it was so surprising to see Kaeru smiling when she lost. It wasn't a forced sort of smile either, but a genuine one. This was a smile that very few people had ever seen.

"She… smiles when she plays tennis," Saeko mused. "Most people frown when they're losing. Or even when they're winning, they're not smiling; they're smirking or deep in concentration. I guess she doesn't take herself too seriously, then?"

"Oh… okay…" Kaya frowned slightly. She was shocked because Kaeru was not a sore loser. If she had lost 6-0, Armageddon would have occurred. Besides, she didn't play tennis to have some girl compliment her dancing – she played to win. This was not a satisfying victory at all for her.

It felt like… Kaya had lost. She didn't know why she felt that way. She had won 6-0.

"Hmph," Kaya found herself snorting aloud. "And you think you can play at Nationals?"

"Frenchie, you absolute _idiot_! You don't go picking on the new kid!"

Kaeru did not realise someone had been watching her lose.

Turning around, she saw who the spectator was. It was a red-haired girl. She was pointing her forefinger at Kaya as if she objected very much indeed.

"Well, it's not like you can do anything," Kaya said disdainfully.

Ignoring Kaya, the red-haired girl turned to Kaeru. "'kay," she said, "so sorry about that match just now. My name is Toriyama Asuka. This chick here is just what they commonly call a bitch. 'scuse my _French_."

Devereaux Kaya opened her eyes and glared daggers at Asuka. Asuka noticed and poked her tongue back out at her. At that moment, it seemed _electrical currents of anger and pure rivalry _were exchanged between them.

Saeko whispered to Kaeru: "Asuka-chan and Kaya-chan are friends."

"Okay," Kaeru said. She wondered when they were going to start practice.

"Heh," Asuka was saying. "I'm almost happy to tell you that _none _of us are going to Nationals."

At the mention of Nationals, Kaeru sprang upright sharply and hopped to her feet.

"What do you mean?" Kaya asked, frowning.

Asuka frowned as well. "I just asked Kyoko-buchou. We're not even having a ranking tournament. We're just going to be a leisure club this year."

And thus, Kaeru encountered her first obstacle in her dream for Nationals, however unexpectedly.

* * *

**Tennis seminar of the week: **When returning a fast serve, you should jump up lightly on your toes so that your reactions are roughly half-a-step quicker than normal. I'm sure you know this from Ryoma's Split Step technique. A pro is always on his toes to receive and when he hits the ball, he transfers his weight from his back foot and tries to hit through the ball. That is the basics of tennis footwork.


	3. Who I admire most

**Ch. 3 Who I Admire Most**

Seigaku's girl's tennis team was not going to Nationals.

And that's the end of the story.

The following is a very, _very _extended epilogue.

* * *

"Hey, Arai!"

Arai Masashi looked up from tying his shoelaces when a friend of his touched his arm and called out his name.

"What is it?" Arai felt somewhat disgruntled like a bear did when it was woken up. He had overslept that morning.

His friend, a rather generic-looking boy with brown hair and brown eyes, said, "Is that your sister there?" He was pointing at a girl who was standing behind the fence. Her skin had a healthy tan to it, just like Arai's. Her hair was done up in a neat ponytail and her fringe was kept out of the way with an equally neat headband. She was actually quite beautiful in an unassuming sort of way.

At that moment, she was looking at the courts – at someone.

"What's Kyoko doing here?" Arai wondered aloud, frowning. He didn't like it when his older sister was around. The two of them had almost nothing in common except for a partiality towards tennis.

"Dude," Arai's friend whistled, "your sister's hot. Ask her out for me."

"No!" Arai snapped. His friend was disappointed. Arai ignored him and continued to glare at his sister. "I think… she's looking at Echizen," he said slowly.

"What? No way! That kid's got it all!"

"Shut up," said Arai. He sounded rather exasperated.

* * *

There was a lot of talk among Seigaku students concerning seventh grader Echizen Ryoma. In spite of his slight stature, he was the rookie who threatened to usurp a spot on the regular team. Such a phenomenon hadn't occurred since the team captain Tezuka Kunimitsu had been in his freshman year. Ryoma was currently every seventh grader's hero.

"Um… hello… I'd like to join the tennis team," Ryuzaki Sakuno, seventh grade, meekly informed the vice-captain Hanabi Koyumi. Koyumi was a very pretty girl indeed with blonde hair tied back with a bright red ribbon. She was older than Sakuno, a fact indicated by her developed body. Sakuno was in awe of her.

Koyumi nodded calmly, scribbled the new recruit's name on a notebook and then left it to Saeko to make Sakuno feel welcome. As expected of Saeko, she excelled in that area.

Koyumi walked up to the team captain of the girl's team, Arai Kyoko, and stood beside her.

"Rather cute, isn't it?" Kyoko remarked when Koyumi reached her.

"What is?" Koyumi asked.

Kyoko inclined her head towards young Sakuno, who was gripping her racquet awkwardly as she stood next to the other new rookie Kaeru.

"Ryuzaki Sakuno. She's coach Sumire's granddaughter, although I don't suppose that's her motivation for joining the team." Kyoko spoke neither too slowly nor too hastily, but she did speak articulately. Her intelligent eyes twinkled with something akin to mirth.

Hanabi Koyumi chuckled. "Are you referring to the seventh grader Echizen Ryoma?"

"Yes, I was. How did you guess?" Kyoko smiled and shook her head wryly. "Oh, I forgot. If it's about tennis, Hana-chan knows about it. If it's about a boy, Hana-chan knows even more."

"You wound me," said Koyumi. "For one thing, Echizen's too young and way too short for me. And another, I respect the male regulars too much to flirt with them, either." She sighed. "So what was it that you wanted to say about Ryoma?"

"It's quite nostalgic watching Echizen's progress," Kyoko remarked. "Do you remember two years ago when Tezuka joined the regulars? It feels like yesterday."

She kept gazing at Sakuno as she said this.

And then she turned away with a sigh.

"All the magic's gone now."

* * *

"This club's not about being competitive or trying to go to Nationals," Kyoko announced one April morning. "It's about having fun and improving together."

Kaeru listened to this speech rather glumly. She only looked up when she heard Toriyama Asuka speak up.

"I bet you're just upset none of the rookies this year are as good as Echizen," said Asuka.

Kaya Devereaux glared at Asuka. She was probably angry at her because she personally agreed with her.

"Silence!" declared uptight vice-captain Hanabi Koyumi. "You have no right to speak to your captain like th-!"

"No, it's okay, Hana-chan," Kyoko interjected. "It's true."

The rest of the girl's tennis team could only reply to this statement with silence.

Kaeru understood on some vague level that she should be offended, but she simply couldn't muster the emotion to feel like that.

Kyoko-buchou had her reasons.

But Kaeru did not feel like giving up so early.

She stood there, racquet in hand, trying to form the words she wanted to say. For some reason, her mind felt blank.

Eventually, someone spoke instead of her.

Saeko raised her hand. "Excuse me. Tadano-senpai wants to say something."

"Yes?" said Kyoko. "What is it, Tadano?"

All eyes were on Kaeru.

Her mind was no longer blank.

"I want to play at Nationals," she said quietly.

Something unreadable flickered in Kyoko's eyes. "Are you so determined? Is that all you want to do?" she asked. When Kaeru nodded in answer, Kyoko said, "Show what you've got, then. Defeat Echizen."

Kaeru heard shocked gasps all around her.

"There's no way a rookie can beat Echizen!"

"None of us here can beat him!"

Amidst it all, Kaeru gave forth one small, firm nod.

* * *

She lost.

As Kaeru hopped off the court, well aware that she was to be promptly forgotten by Ryoma, she heard someone say to her, "Ryoma-kun's been playing for a long time. You've only just started. Don't feel bad…"

Kaeru had failed to win a single point against the Prince of Tennis. It was fun to play against someone so skilled.

* * *

People watched, of course.

Ninth grader Kuroki Shizuka looked on with interest. One could imagine Shizuka being old. If sixty years slipped past, she would not look all too different from how she looked now. Her face would be more worn and lined, perhaps, and the once jet black hair would be tinged with grey – but the eyes would remain the same. They had an ageless quality to it, filled with wisdom which belied youth. They were the sort of eyes where if one gazed into them, there was no end to their fathomless depths.

Shizuka turned to her fellow regular, Mikata Natsu. "This is an altogether fascinating spectacle," she remarked.

Mikata was a strange type. For one thing, she dressed like one of the male regulars and for another, she honestly looked the part. There is a difference between a masculine girl and feminine boy and Mikata was almost certainly the latter in appearance. She had a slender body and a pretty face, but she was also handsome. That and the fact that she did not overplay her masculine role by trying to act overly tough was why she was almost always mistaken for a boy.

"What do you mean?" Mikata asked, frowning. "I feel sorry for that poor girl. Echizen crushed her."

"I think," Shizuka said with her enigmatic smile, "this is precisely what Kyoko-buchou wanted to see."

"Kuroki, you're much too wise and mysterious for your own good. People will think you're an old lady."

Shizuka laughed.

* * *

"I want to get better."

The wall said nothing to her in reply.

Kaeru slowly paced around in front of the wall she always practised with day after day. She loved the feeling of playing, but when it was against another person, suddenly, her strokes no longer seemed adequate. If only she could play and not worry about things like score, just like how it was with her and the wall. Maybe winning was important. If that was the way to go to Nationals, then maybe such a thing was beyond her. The thought was a sobering one.

Was that why Kyoko said the club was about having fun and learning together, not about being competitive?

"Excuse me, Tadano-senpai?"

Kaeru turned around and saw Saeko standing behind her. She was smiling bashfully.

"Do you want to play with me?"

Kaeru stared mutely.

"It's the way people get better," Saeko explained. "I think?" she added, as if afraid she was being too straightforward.

Kaeru looked up at the sky and blinked.

* * *

Playing with Saeko was fun. It was like playing with the wall, except Saeko did more than that. She spoke to Kaeru politely, said she did well when she hit a good shot.

Listening to her, Kaeru felt warmed inside.

"Say, Kaeru-chan, why did you start playing tennis?" Saeko when they finished playing. "I've been meaning to ask you for a while but I forgot to ask you."

Kaeru wiped her forehead with a towel before looking up at Saeko. "Why?" she asked stonily. Almost immediately as the word left her mouth, she wished she could have been a bit friendlier in her manner of speaking. Oh well.

Kaeru pondered Saeko's question very thoughtfully and then answered with all seriousness. "Tennis is fun."

"Is there… anyone who you admire? Anyone you want to be like?"

That was a strange question. "You're talking weird," she said bluntly.

Saeko blushed. "Yeah, I guess I am," she admitted, sighing. "It's just, about Kyoko-buchou, how she feels... It must be because of _him_."

Kaeru nodded because that seemed to her like the right way to respond.

"Ah, you get it!" Saeko sighed in relief. "He's so determined about Nationals, maybe she feels like she doesn't exist to him." She paused. "I think you should try to talk to her, senpai. Buchou's not a bad person."

Kaeru nodded in acknowledgment of Saeko's advice. Then she asked, "Why help me?"

Saeko thought about that. "There's something about you," she said finally. "Er... sorry if that sounded weird. I'm probably annoying you."

Kaeru shook her head.

* * *

She spotted Kyoko as she was walking out the school gates. Kyoko was dressed up in her regular sailor outfit, carrying her school briefcase with two hands. A tennis bag was slung over her shoulder. That was what caught Kaeru's attention. When she came closer, she recognised Kyoko because she remembered that the captain of the club wore a cool headband.

Rather than greet her verbally, Kaeru chose to hop up to Kyoko and tap her once on the back. Kyoko turned around, noticed Kaeru and smiled faintly. "Oh, hi there."

"Change your mind."

Kyoko shook her head. "You didn't beat Echizen. That was the deal."

Kaeru thought about what Saeko had said. She needed to reason with Kyoko. She took a deep breath as she collected her thoughts.

"Boys' skill doesn't matter. We are girls."

"Even so, are you really so sure you can make it to Nationals? You are a beginner."

"I want to."

Again, Kaeru noticed the unreadable emotion flicker in Kyoko's eyes. "Let's take a walk," Kyoko said.

Kaeru obliged. Walking with the captain was a strange experience; Kyoko had a way of taking purposeful strides when she walked, not looking left or right as she did so. Kaeru felt she had to pick up her pace simply to be with her.

Curiously enough, she wanted to do that.

After a few minutes of silence between the two of them, Kyoko spoke up. "There's something about you."

Kaeru blinked. Saeko had said that too.

"You have a reason for wanting to go to Nationals this year, right?" Kyoko said questioningly. "And you can't back out, right?"

Kaeru nodded.

"I wanted to go too last year," Kyoko said. "But then I realised my motives for doing it were so petty and shallow that I hated myself for it."

She stopped walking. Only then did she look to her left, and she seemed mesmerised by the sight that greeted her. Sakura petals falling from a nearby tree.

"There's someone who I admire most," she explained.

She looked back at Kaeru and sighed, before smiling faintly again. "I wanted to be strong like him. That's why I practised my heart out. But I could never be like that. I was just kidding myself by thinking that."

Kaeru nodded knowingly. She knew exactly who Kyoko was talking about. "He's very manly."

"Yeah," Kyoko answered. "He is."

"I want to marry him too," Kaeru said.

Kyoko went bright red in the face. "Wh-what? You too?" she spluttered.

Kaeru nodded solemnly.

"Oh dear," said Kyoko. "Oh dear."

"Goku is very manly," Kaeru said. She was an avid fan of Dragon Ball Z.

"_Oh dear_," said Kyoko, repeating herself yet again. "I meant TEZUKA-KUN! I mean, I mean-!" She hastily buried her head in her hands. "Crap!"

Strangely enough, the next thing she did was burst into a fit of giggles. She was apparently so embarrassed she found it funny.

"Well, now you know my secret," Kyoko remarked.

Kaeru thought it would be best if Kyoko knew _her _secret, since there seemed to be an exchange of secrets going on for some reason. It was the least she could do.

So she opened her mouth and told Kyoko something very private.

"Oh," said Kyoko, "so _that's _what your secret is."

She turned back to the sakura tree and touched one of the petals. It broke off in her hand. All this she regarded with melancholy.

"I told you my motives were shallow," she sighed. "When I realised that, I decided I could only try to go to Nationals if there was someone truly deserving of it in my team. You could be that person, Tadano. I noticed something about you, how you took that defeat against Echizen. You're different from him."

She paused, and then stated what her intention was all along.

"It'll take a little bit more than that to convince me, though. We'll have a ranking tournament inside the team," she declared. "If you make the regular team, _then _we'll see."

Kaeru's face slowly took on an expression of delight.

* * *

The next day, the rules and line-up of the tournament was decided. It was all very simple: there were four brackets or divisions in the tournament. Within the brackets, the players engaged in a round-robin competition. At the end of it, the two top scoring players of each bracket would become regulars.

Saeko was in a pensive mood when she got home the day the line-up was decided. The moment she stepped indoors, she figuratively sprinted for the phone and dialled a number she knew off by heart. "Hello?" she spoke into the ringing phone. "Grandpa?"

An older man's voice answered. "Ah, Saeko. Good to hear from you."

It didn't sound like a very old, weak man. It sounded like a strong, closer to middle-aged sort of man. One could imagine the person on the other end was one who stood straight and lived actively. Saeko smiled hearing her grandfather's voice.

"How's Moscow?" she asked.

"Cold, I tell you. Ha! I'm getting old!"

"Did you win your tournament?"

Saeko's grandfather played on the senior pro's tennis circuit. He was in his sixties and he was still playing amateur tournaments all around the world.

"Well, I came second. I got some prize money, but I reckon I'll be living on soba noodles for a week."

Saeko laughed. "Oh, grandpa! You just hang on there, will you?"

"'Course I will. And how's life for you, sweetie?"

"Buchou decided to have a ranking tournament. I really want to become a regular!"

"Ah, yes. Trying to follow in my footsteps, are you, Saeko? I recall I was a regular on Seigaku way back. You know, Sumire and I went to school together. I believe you refer to her as Coach Ryuzaki now."

Saeko giggled. "I know, grandpa, you told me."

"Did I now? I really must be getting long in the tooth." The old man sighed on the other end of the line.

"Grandpa," Saeko began seriously, "I know you never had the luck or coaching to make it to any Grand Slams when you were younger, but you know, you've always been my hero. You're the reason why I joined the Seigaku team."

"Hn. If only your father was more like you. Don't tell him I said that."

"Of course I won't, grandpa. But dad's my hero too, you know! Even though he doesn't play tennis, he's an Aikido master. That's pretty cool."

"I suppose."

Saeko grinned. Her grandfather had never liked Aikido. He said martial arts were a waste of time.

"You know," said Saeko, "dad said to me one time that to perfect something, you have to master the self. Do you know what he means?"

"Um… practise hard?"

"No, no! Something to do with your state of mind, he said."

"All this martial arts psychology is a load of crock-shit if you ask me."

"Grandpa!"

"Oh, excuse my French. I was in Paris last week, you see. Well, anyway, Saeko, I have to go now for the medal ceremony. Thanks for calling me. And good luck in the ranking tournament."

"Yes. Even though Tadano-senpai's my friend, I'll show her no mercy."

Saeko put down the phone.

* * *

Night transitioned into day almost alarmingly quickly. Kaeru got up, fed her pet turtle and took her tennis bag to school. After school, the ranking tournament was taking place, so she didn't pay much attention to her classes. She wanted to do well so that Kyoko would be proud of her and she also wanted to have fun. She was determined.

Saeko was biting her nails when Kaeru saw her standing just outside the tennis courts. "Are you ready to begin?" she asked, in a somewhat stiff tone. She was appropriately dressed in her tennis skirt and was gripping her racquet tightly.

"Yes," Kaeru said firmly and Saeko nodded. Together, they walked onto the courts.

"Match between Fukawa and Tadano to start," Hanabi Koyumi announced. She glanced at her clipboard, where she was keeping the scores of all the matches. "Fukawa to serve."

Fuunare took two balls and the match began.

* * *

Saeko and Kaeru's match took place in Bracket A. In Bracket B, Kaya and Mikata were facing off. Most of the girls who weren't playing were watching this match. Either that or they were watching Tezuka play.

"Natsumaru is _soooooo_ hot!" the girls collectively sighed as Mikata started bouncing the ball for her serve. 'Natsumaru' was Mikata's nickname because she was just so manly in a bishonen way. "If only Natsumaru actually was a boy!"

There was even more to admire about Mikata. The motions of her serve were well-practised and fluid. Even Kaya with her fancy footwork had trouble getting to the serve. It simply ripped through the air.

"There it is!" exclaimed the girls. "Natsumaru's One-Two Punch Serve! Clocked at one-eighty kilometres per hour!"

Mikata's first serve was called the One-Two Punch because she usually put away the receiver's return away for a winner, if there was a return at all.

Thus, it was pretty hard for the average guy to measure up to Mikata Natsu. It was actually kind of sad.

In Bracket C, Toriyama Asuka in eighth grade was blazing her way through her match. Asuka was actually a golf player but she played tennis on the side to keep up her aerobic fitness level. Kuroki Shizuka watched the younger player with interest and realised she might actually have some competition in her bracket.

And finally, in Bracket D, team captain Kyoko was attracting her own fair share of audience. Most of these were male. Her brother Arai Masashi fell about bragging about how his sister was as good as Fuji Syusuke. He had nothing else to brag about, after all, not after being whipped by Echizen and his crappy wooden racquet. (Evidently, Kaeru was not the only one to suffer a crushing defeat at Ryoma's hands.) In fact, Arai didn't enter the ranking tournament because he was scared of the possibility of facing Echizen again. Stupid dweeb, as Kyoko aptly put it when she was forced to talk about her annoying younger brother. He wasn't even right about her being as good as Fuji. Nobody was as good as Fuji.

Whatever the case, Kyoko won her first match 6-0 without any trouble. When she fished out Koyumi to tell her the score, she found the vice-captain was too engrossed watching Saeko and Kaeru to notice outward distractions.

So Kyoko marked the score on the clipboard herself.

"Who's winning?" Kyoko asked Koyumi casually when she was done. In actuality, this was the match she was interested in the most.

"Fukawa versus Tadano," Koyumi answered promptly. She did not take her eyes off the court as she spoke. "The score is 3-1, Fukawa's lead."

"Hmm." Kyoko scratched her chin. "So Tadano's serve was broken."

"Admittedly, that's not too difficult to do," Koyumi said, frowning. "The serve is the hardest shot to master within a short space of time. And Tadano here is simply not a singles player."

Kyoko looked up. "I can see what you mean," she remarked. "Tadano can't seem to cover the court too well and when she's at the baseline…" She shook her head. "She's much more comfortable at the net."

Koyumi nodded. "But look at Fukawa," she pointed out. "Look at the topspin she's putting on the ball. She's forcing Tadano to stay behind the baseline."

Indeed that was the case. Saeko was initiating the long rallies and Kaeru was forced to do all she could to keep up. She hopped, she lunged, she sweated – she did everything a human who wasn't Kaya Devereaux could feasibly do.

_I want to fight you_, she seemed to be saying.

She hit the ball as hard as she could, but it was clear she could not manage to hit the sweet spot in the middle of the racquet perfectly. Somewhat slowly, the ball descended over the net and Saeko darted over to it, preparing to hit the ball. Kaeru grit her teeth, sprang to her feet and braced herself for a harsh blow.

It was a pity, since Kyoko knew Kaeru had come a long way in a short time, even though it hadn't seemed like a lot from being pitted against Ryoma.

Perhaps the whole ranking tournament idea had been a fruitless one...

Saeko hit the ball – and as she did so, something was there in her expression. Hesitation. Reluctance. Kaeru noted this and yet refused to pounce.

She smiled, like she always did when she played tennis.

Again, with a fierce swing of her racquet, she hit the ball not quite in the sweet spot and then she rushed to the net. She didn't hit a hard enough approach shot. Saeko reached the ball and with a deft flick of her wrist, she sent the ball upwards. Kaeru watched it soar and then plummet back down to eart. The lob had been waiting for her.

Saeko smiled grimly.

Kyoko frowned. "Fukawa's not going for many winners." There was more to that lack of aggression than simply her hesitation, she knew.

Koyumi agreed. "She's created a rhythm; she's forcing Tadano to make the errors, don't you see?"

"I have to admit," Kyoko said, sighing, "When it comes to tactical play, Fukawa's got Tadano all but outsmarted."

The two girls stopped talking to watch the match in silence. Eventually, they had to leave for their own matches. By then, Saeko had extended her lead to 4-1. The two spectators thought they could see where the match was headed from there. So they left. Without a backward glance.

It was during that minute they left that Kaeru held her serve to bring the score back up to 4-2. It was a small gesture but Kaeru proved that she was not giving up yet.

It wasn't enough, and Saeko knew it.

As Saeko took her serve again, she said calmly, "Harmony. When you break the way of harmony, your own strength can be used against you. You are your greatest enemy."

Kaeru didn't know what Saeko meant by that so she only raised her eyebrows and said nothing.

Saeko chuckled. When one became accustomed to Kaeru language, one knew that the subtle raising of an eyebrow meant as much as, "What the hell are you talking about?" That was what Kaeru would have said had she liked the sound of her own voice enough.

"It's Aikido," Saeko explained. "The principle behind Aikido is the distribution of power and harmony. You don't need strength when you can borrow your opponent's."

There was no worded reply to that. Kaeru looked up into the sky, blinked once, and then prepared for the next service game.

Saeko frowned slightly. Was Kaeru going to try something?

When Saeko served, Kaeru hit a flat return to Saeko's backhand. There was plenty of oomph behind it. So Kaeru was trying something different…! Well, Saeko thought sardonically, she was going to see about that.

She stepped forward and into the ball, taking it early. And BAM. It was a winner. Perhaps the reason Saeko's shot was so fast was because she had merely reflected Kaeru's drive back at her. Kaeru had never seen Saeko hit a shot like that before. Normally, she would have hit a slice to try and slow down the pace of a flat shot.

"That shot," Kaeru said quietly. "What was it?" She thought a bit. Saeko normally hit a one-handed backhand but with that shot, she used two hands.

Saeko grinned evilly, or at least, as evilly as a person as affable as Saeko could. "I call it," she said proudly, "the Aikido return."

"Of course," Kaeru said dully. "Harmony." It made sense.

For the second time in the game, Saeko served. Kaeru moved up closer to take the first shot on the early bounce. She had to play better shots.

_Whup!_

The ball hit the tape on the net.

Kaeru watched where it bounced.

...

_Plop._

It was on her side of the net. She didn't hit the ball well enough for it to go over, it seemed.

The game score was now 30-0.

Saeko felt her palms sweat. Kaeru would soon get the timing of the on-the-rise shot right. She was just so versatile that way. Saeko's own serve was fairly weak compared to the hard hitters like Mikata and Kyoko. There was always a chance she could get broken. There had to be something she could do.

At last it came to her.

There was something different about Saeko's service action, the way she tossed the ball, Kaeru thought. But foolishly, she charged ahead anyway. She darted forward to take the ball to her forehand when ball bounced out wide, as if it was trying to evade her. A slice serve!

Kaeru quickly lunged for the ball and just barely managed to get her racquet onto it. She swung her body around hit the ball into the court.

Yes! She got it in!

The ball bounced in Saeko's service box. Saeko charged up to the ball and hit it down the centre of the court with hard, thumping rhythm. Kaeru tried to reach it but couldn't – she was too far away after chasing Saeko's serve. She realised with a start that her own tactics were being used against her. Her opponent had set up the point perfectly.

With a grim, set expression on her face, Saeko took the ball and served once more.

A fault. She hit it into the net. It seemed like she couldn't get the consistency she needed on a slice serve.

Saeko's second serve went in. Kaeru aggressively attacked the ball. Her swing was just a little too early and so the ball landed out a few inches past the baseline. Saeko heaved a sigh of relief at that. She hadn't lost a single point on her service game, which really boosted her confidence.

Silence from Kaeru's end.

Most players in her position would have self-destructed by now. Saeko needed only one more game to win it, just one. And in that last service game, she had really upped the power. Whenever Kaeru tried something new, she was immediately shot down.

But just like Kaeru, she didn't seem perturbed at all. That was the infuriating thing about her. She always bounced back. Kaeru's smile, because it was a smile of intense, private pleasure, always seemed genuine, and therefore, all the more frightening to Saeko. Saeko looked up at her on-court rival and tried to figure out what Kaeru was thinking.

As Kaeru started bouncing the ball for her serve, she was reflecting upon what Saeko had said earlier. _You are your greatest enemy._

What a very, very interesting thing to say.

* * *

"Good match, Devereaux," Mikata said with her swoon-inducing smile.

"Yeah, you too," Kaya replied, a little gloomily.

Mikata had won 6-1. At least it wasn't 6-0.

"Oh," said Mikata suddenly, "looks like Fukawa and Tadano's match is still on. Care to watch, Devereaux?"

"Eh," said Kaya. "All right." Anything to take her mind off her crushing defeat. Her light footwork was nothing compared to Mikata's tank-like power, especially on her serve.

Kaya and Mikata drew near just as Kaeru was about to begin serving.

"Tadano!" Kaya exclaimed. "What's the score?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Kaya snorted. "You mean you don't listen to the game score?"

"No."

Kaya and Mikata raised their eyebrows in unison. What kind of play was that?

Saeko quietly told Kaya and Mikata the score. It was still 5-2, and Kaeru was down on her serve 15-40.

"Oh," said Kaya in surprise. "It's two match points!"

"Maybe it's a good thing Tadano doesn't listen to the game score," Mikata said dryly. "Otherwise, she'd have good reason to be nervous right now."

They stood still, perfectly quiet, and watched.

Kaeru served.

* * *

**Tennis seminar of the week: **The scoring system in tennis is a bit difficult to get your head around at first. So for future reference, I'll talk about it here. When you win a rally in tennis, you win a point. It goes from 15 to 30 to 40 to a game. The server's score is announced before the receiver's. I mentioned deuce (40-40) in the first chapter and how you have to win two consecutive points to win a game from there. When you win a game, it doesn't mean you've won the match. You have to win at least six games to win a set, although this changes if your opponent has won five games. (I'll talk about that in another chapter.) It depends on the match conditions to tell you how many sets you have to play to win. Men's Grand Slam matches are best-of-five sets, for instance, while the matches in PoT are best-of-one.


	4. Original Story Text

Title: To Dream of Nationals

Category: Anime/Manga » Prince of Tennis

Author: Frog-kun

Language: English, Rating: Rated: T

Genre: Friendship/Adventure

Published: 01-18-09, Updated: 01-22-11

Chapters: 34, Words: 91,493

Chapter 1: Gamano Kaeru

Author's introduction: (30/5/09) It's been a couple of months since I first began this story. I'm afraid it starts off slow but please take it in the spirit that it was meant to: This is a story about tennis. There is no real point to it besides being a tennis drama. The reason why it is so long is because the average singles match takes several chapters to finish, so if you are looking for an alternative action story, then you've come to the right url. If you're looking for OC fluff, then I'm afraid you won't find what you're looking for. (At least not until, like, chapter 20-something.) However, as I'm pretty sure most fanfiction readers don't like OCs, please bear with them; I am writing this story to promote women's tennis and you'll find that this story does remain true to the spirit of the canon, even though the canon charcters aren't in it as much.

Ch. 1 Gamano Kaeru

Kikumaru Eiji was the catalyst. 'Catalyst' does not refer to the feline animal, although it is often remarked that Eiji had many cat-like tendencies. No, 'catalyst' meant that Eiji started something, or rather, changed someone's life forever. He wasn't to know it at the time.

It happened one day, a few weeks before the first ranking tournament of the year. Eiji and his friend Fuji were assigned to after-school clean-up duty, which meant they were going to miss tennis practice. This was something Eiji was not going to let Fuji forget for a second. If he wasn't whining about missed practice, he was caught gazing forlornly out the window. To Fuji, Eiji must have resembled poor Rapunzel trapped in her tower. It was surprisingly easy to imagine Eiji with long blonde hair and in a dress. Fuji chuckled.

At that moment, the door slid open and a girl on crutches hobbled into the room. She mumbled something about leaving her books in the classroom. Her voice was low and it cracked. Fuji smiled and nodded his head, although Eiji's sharp eyes narrowed slightly. The girl looked sick. Not "cough, cough, I'm sick" sick but rather, she had the sort of pained look on her countenance that made it seem as if she was terminally unwell. Not to mention her right leg was in a cast.

When the girl had left the classroom, Eiji turned to Fuji and said to him, "You noticed the same thing as I did, didn't you?"

"And what was it?" Fuji asked him, smiling. Oh, he knew, all right.

"Come on, Fuji." (The fact that Kikumaru addressed his friend as 'Fuji' instead of 'Fujiko' meant that he was serious.) "Her leg. In homeroom, the cast was on her left leg."

"Well, you've got the sharpest eyes on the team," Fuji remarked.

Eiji smiled at the compliment but his mind quickly went back to what he saw. "That new girl, Gamano Kaeru – that was her name, right? – She's strange. She can use both of her legs perfectly fine. I wonder what she's hiding."

"I don't know about that," said Fuji, "but I do know we have to get this classroom as clean as possible. I'll spray the table; you can wipe it with this cloth."

"You're so unfair, Fujiko-chan!" Eiji whined. "I want to spray the tables, nya!"

Which showed how good Kikumaru was at concentrating on one thing.

After the cleanup duties were complete, Fuji and Eiji said goodbye at the school gate and each went their separate ways. Eiji hoisted his tennis bag up his shoulder and set off, whistling. Even though he had missed tennis practice, there was still a spring in his step. The boy was like a floatation device; nothing could keep him down for long.

The day was quite late now. Afternoon had almost progressed into evening; almost but not quite. There was still plenty enough light to guide him home, and Eiji liked the thought of it. Home was good. His sister was cooking tonight and geez, her Indian dishes were nice.

His mind was filled with curry and rice, although suffice it to say his eyes weren't. As he was walking by the street tennis courts en-route to his house, he caught sight of the girl from the classroom earlier.

"Kaeru-chan!" he exclaimed. The girl turned her head around. She had been watching the street tennis, her crutches neatly folded by her bag. There was no leg cast in sight.

So Kikumaru had been right about her.

Kaeru's pale face coloured instantly. Aside from her secret being revealed, she was shocked about the fact that someone had addressed her with '-chan.' No one, not even her mother, spoke to her with that level of familiarity. Little did she know Eiji was like this with everyone. She didn't even know his name, just that he was some red-headed person in her class who 'nya'-ed a lot. Weirdo.

She said nothing as he approached her and touched her shoulder.

"You like tennis?" he smiled. "I like tennis too, nya!"

He made no comment about her legs. Maybe he had sheer forgotten about it.

Kaeru mumbled something. "What was that?" Eiji asked.

"Please go away," said Kaeru. She wasn't tearful or emotional or anything; just a simple request on her part.

"Not until you tell me what's up with your legs."

Kaeru stared and then blinked. Eiji was shrewder than he looked. Much shrewder.

She said nothing.

Eiji was silent too. But silence, to an extroverted person, is stifling.

"I'm hungry," he complained at length. "Well, see ya, Kaeru-chan."

There it was, the '-chan' again.

"Why do you call me 'Kaeru-chan'?" she asked, giving him a blank look. "I'm not your friend."

"Of course I'm your friend, nya!" Kikumaru insisted with smiling eyes. "At least, I hope so," he added with a bit more uncertainty.

She shuffled uncomfortably. "But…" Her voice cracked. "I'm a freak. My legs. When I walk."

Eiji blinked. Kaeru got to her feet and demonstrated walking. Only it didn't look like walking. It looked like hopping. She was so bow-legged that hopping was the only thing she could do. Eiji sat down and pondered the girl's condition. If he had legs like her, his diving volleys would be fantastic. The momentum of the hops would generate so much more power. The girl probably had stronger knees than most if she had to hop everywhere. Kikumaru could only manage a few dozen hops himself and then he was out of gas. So, if he thought about it that way…

"Waaahh! I'm so jealous, nya!"

If a person's face could become blanker, Kaeru managed it at that moment. Eiji looked up into her face and noticed something else.

Her eyes. They were positioned differently than on normal people. The average person would not have noticed it but Kikumaru saw that Kaeru's eyes were positioned closer to the sides of her face rather than to the front. Her pupils themselves were constantly dilating and shrinking (only by a very small amount, mind you) so that to Eiji, it seemed as if Kaeru's eyes were constantly out of focus.

In the silence that reigned, Eiji surreptitiously picked up a rock on the ground, walked behind Kaeru and then hurled the rock at her.

Kaeru instantly tilted her head so that the rock harmlessly passed by her. She frowned and turned to face Kikumaru. If she was even slightly more expressive, she probably would have screamed at him.

"What stunning reflexes," Eiji breathed. "With eyes like those, it must be like you've got eyes in the back of your head. A normal person wouldn't have seen that rock coming."

At last she spoke, in a subdued tone. "It's a birth deficiency."

"A birth def-def… what?"

If Inui had been there, he would have explained: a birth deficiency was a mutation that occurred at conception. Children with birth deficiencies were born in the minority and they had absolutely no control over it. They were… different.

Eiji may not have known this but he did possess some wisdom regarding the matter. "It's not bad," he said. "You may as well make the best of it, nya? With those legs and eyes you'd make a great net player, just like me! I like being different."

He thought some more. "Nya!" he interposed. "Let's play tennis! I have two racquets in my bag."

Kaeru didn't actually get any say in the matter, although it wasn't as if she was going to dispute. She was taken-aback by Eiji's reaction. She had expected him to go away or perhaps tease her. Tennis was not on her list of predictions. Eiji was much too enthusiastic to be refused. Now, Kaeru understood how mothers with demanding children felt.

She sighed inwardly and accepted Eiji's spare racquet.

They stepped onto the courts. "Yahoo!" Eiji called out to the people who were playing. "Are these courts free to play on?"

The boys on court stopped hitting and turned to face Eiji. "Yeah," a boy with dirty blonde hair sneered. "But if you want to play you'll have to beat us at Doubles."

"Fine by me," Eiji responded. He tugged on Kaeru's arm. "Let's do it, Kaeru-chan!"

The other boy, a fat-cheeked and squinty-eyed male, said, "Check out their uniforms! It looks like they're from Seigaku! Are you regulars?"

It was then the first boy seemed to take his first proper look at Eiji. "I've heard of you!" he said suddenly. "Kikumaru Eiji – one half of the Golden Pair who went all the way to the Nationals!"

Kaeru blinked in surprise. Nationals?

"Hey, it doesn't matter," the second boy sneered. "That girl ain't Oishi. Come on, we can beat 'em."

Kaeru looked at Eiji and realised he had never told her his name. How on earth was she supposed to trust someone who forgot to introduce himself? Maybe he presumed because other random strangers knew him she would too? At least she knew the boy's name was Kikumaru now.

"Kikumaru-san, you should not-" she began.

Eiji deftly twisted his racquet around and caught it. He was definitely in serious mode now. Anyone who knew Eiji was aware that this was when Kikumaru was most dangerous as a tennis player. He never could back down.

"Who's serving first?" he asked, neatly cutting off Kaeru's broken speech.

They spun the racquet to decide. The boy team was serving first. It was to be a one-game knockout match.

As Eiji was walking to the baseline, Kaeru found herself regaining her voice. It rang out:

"Kikumaru-san!"

"Call me Eiji," was the reply. "Okay, Kaeru-chan, stand there by the net. I'll cover for you, nya."

And Kaeru did what he said. She trusted him. Crazy as it sounded, she trusted a random boy she had never talked to in her life before this day. Might as well have added that pigs were flying overhead as she took her position on the court: upon the left service box.

The first boy served a rather slow lob serve. Eiji rolled his eyes. Kaeru thought she heard him mutter the word "lollipop." What did lollipops have to do with tennis?

Eiji returned the ball cross-court. Somehow the opposing baseline player managed to get his racquet to it, although the ball was sent over the net at drop shot pace – straight towards Kaeru's forehand.

"Volley it, Kaeru-chan!" Eiji cheered.

Kaeru hopped towards the ball, swung at the volley – and completely missed it.

"Fifteen love," announced the boy at the side who was scoring.

Kaeru went red and stared at the strings on Eiji's racquet. A tennis racquet was not like a golf club; there was plenty of room to hit the ball. Why had she screwed up?

"Um, Kaeru-chan," Eiji said suddenly. "Have you ever played tennis before?"

"No," Kaeru replied, frowning.

Eiji sweat-dropped. "Nya…" he exhaled heavily. 'You don't swing at a volley. You just hold your wrist firm."

"Oh."

"Nya, it's all right. Just concentrate, nya."

Eiji stood by the net and Kaeru went back to the baseline. Meanwhile, the boys had switched sides of the court. The service return was now on Kaeru.

The boy at the other end served. Slowly, the ball bounced into the service box. Kaeru's eyes locked onto it. She swung the racquet hard. This time, she actually hit the ball. Only, with the frame of the racquet. The shot was weak and did not even make it over the net.

"Thirty love."

"I'm sorry," Kaeru said.

"Well, you are a beginner," Eiji sighed.

The players got into position once more. Eiji returned the serve with a down-the-line winner. The shot could easily have been returned by another Seigaku regular but to a complete beginner like Kaeru, Eiji's forehand was sheer captivating to watch.

"Thirty fifteen," was the score.

It was Kaeru's return again. Kaeru was starting to feel nervous whenever she hit the ball. Maybe it was because the opposition looked noticeably happier when serving to her.

Somehow Kaeru managed a return of the serve. Her shot was only barely going over the net and she realised with sudden sick feeling of the poor placement of the ball. She had been so concerned with actually hitting it in that she had forgotten that she was not meant to aim at the net player.

There was so much wide open court Kaeru had left after the return that losing the point seemed inevitable. The net player took aim and hit; the ball was going in.

Eiji darted to the side and with a dive he intercepted the ball. The ball flew past the net player and landed just short of the baseline – a perfect passing shot.

He turned and winked at Kaeru. "Nice shot, Kaeru-chan, nya!"

Who was he kidding? Kaeru thought dully. Her shot had been weak. It had been Eiji's timely interception that had saved her. His shot had been magnificent. It was no wonder he had made it to Nationals.

"Thirty all."

Eiji returned the serve, and the baseline player hit the ball back into Kaeru's volleying range, just like in the first point. The difference was the first shot had been aimed directly at her; the second shot was well over a metre to the right and heading in.

It was in that moment Kaeru showed a glimmer of her potential as a tennis player. A beginner would have found the ball out of reach but Kaeru jumped – and she could jump a lot further than most people in one leap. She managed to get her racquet to the ball.

It was a pity she hit the ball into the net.

"Forty thirty."

"Nice try, Kaeru-chan!" Eiji called out behind her. "That was a hard volley to get back in. I knew you had good reflexes, nya!"

If Kaeru had been given time to reflect, she would have found it nice how Eiji was constantly encouraging her as any good Doubles partner would do.

But right now, all Kaeru was thinking about was the fact that it was game – and match – point. She needed to return the serve and let Eiji handle the rest.

This she did and Kaeru surprised herself and others by hitting a hard flat shot down the middle. When had she become so strong? No, it wasn't strength; she was finally starting to get some technique. At last she had managed to hit the ball right in the centre of the racquet. That was needed more than any amount of muscle.

The opposition was so surprised at Kaeru's sudden aggression that the players fumbled for her ball and missed.

"WOOHOO!" Eiji cheered and lost no time glomping Kaeru. Yes, glomping Kaeru.

Kaeru herself was much too stunned to even care about being glomped.

"How did she hit that ball?" the first boy muttered. "I thought she was hopeless."

"Don't worry," the second boy whispered back. "It was probably just a fluke."

The score was Deuce.

"What's Deuce?" Kaeru asked Eiji as they took their positions on the court.

"Something you drink," Eiji answered.

"Be serious."

"Okay," Eiji coughed. "Deuce is when the score is forty all. You must win two points in a row to win the game. If you win one game and lose the next, the score goes back to Deuce."

Kaeru said nothing to that. The game could go forever. The thought was disconcerting.

Eiji grinned, apparently having read her thoughts. "This is where the real battle begins, nya."

And so it was. Whenever one side won a point the other would take it back to Deuce. The opponents seemed to have developed a fail-proof strategy called: "Just hit the ball to the girl." The sad part was that it actually worked. To her frustration, Kaeru found that she could not replicate her powerful flat shot from earlier, although on the whole, her co-ordination was getting much better until she could almost rally from the baseline. Her most popular target did seem to be the net, though.

"Aim higher, Kaeru-chan," Eiji told her. "Look at the ball when you hit it."

Another deadly flaw in Kaeru's game was her backhand. She was starting to get the hang of the forehand but when she swung at the backhand, she used one hand as she had seen Eiji do. She had much less power and control than she would have liked.

What if, she thought suddenly, I use two hands?

When the next shot to her backhand came to her, Kaeru placed her left hand above her right hand. In a subconscious movement she turned the grip around until the racquet face was perfectly in line with the ball. Then she stepped forward and hit it.

It was exactly the same type of flat shot from before, and it was a winner.

"Amazing," Eiji muttered. "It's her first game and she managed to teach herself the double-handed backhand."

The double-handed had slightly more power and control than the one-handed, although Eiji didn't use it because the one-handed had better reach and he was a serve-volleyer.

"Advantage receiver."

It was the first time in the game Eiji and Kaeru had the advantage. The opponents were starting to look worried.

"Lob her!" the first boy exclaimed. "Hit it to her forehand!"

They tried to lob her but the ball came a bit short. Eiji took the shot.

He jumped at the ball and hit it while in midair. He looked very much like a cat, the way he jumped. And Kaeru saw it again – Eiji's wonderful forehand.

"Kikumaru Beam!"

BAM.

And the ball was a winner.

"Game and match to the Gamano-Kikumaru team," the scoring boy declared. He looked very confused.

And so did the boys who had lost.

"What kind of shot was that Kikumaru Beam?"

"Looks like Kikumaru's too good for us."

"WE WON, NYA! Kaeru-chan, let me give you a hug," said Eiji.

Kaeru stopped him with the racquet in her hand. "Here's your racquet back," she said quietly. "It's late. The lights have been turned on." She hesitated briefly and then addressed him by his name. "Eiji-san." (Well, she had to have the -san, didn't she? Anything else would have been rude.)

And with that, she picked up her bag, got back on her crutches and hobbled away. Eiji couldn't see her face but she was smiling inwardly. And he knew it.

"Bye-bye, Kaeru chan!" He waved. Then he stopped and considered something.

"NYA! Sis's curry must be stone cold by now!"

By the way, not many people were faster than Eiji in full sprint.

That night as Kaeru was taking a bath, she thought back to the tennis match. The casual observer might not have seen the subtle upward turn of the corners of her lips.

She had never felt as alive as she had on the tennis courts. Adrenaline pumping through her veins, the satisfaction of hitting a clean winner… Normal life didn't offer any of these. Even though she hadn't been particularly good, she had hit a few good shots, for which her makeshift Doubles partner had complimented her on. The only thing that saddened her was that she hadn't discovered tennis sooner. She was fourteen and in ninth grade but there was plenty more living to do.

She blinked and scrubbed herself and her thoughts began to take a different direction. Eiji had gone to Nationals. Nationals…

"I want to play Nationals," Kaeru said, very, very softly, and no one heard her.

She got dressed, read a book quietly and went to bed.

The next morning, Eiji and Fuji were walking past the girls' tennis courts on the way to morning practice. Eiji noticed something and turned.

Gamano Kaeru had joined the girls' tennis team and was on the courts being taught how to serve. Eiji's face broke into a wide smile.

"Doesn't it feel great when you help someone out?" he remarked to Fuji.

"Yes," Fuji smiled. "It's the best feeling on earth."

Eiji will never know whether Fuji was serious or not. But he was feeling too gratified to care.

Tennis seminar of the week: Today's an auspicious day, which is why I posted this fic today. Day 1 of the Australian Open! Anyone here going? Or... wait... you all live on the wrong continent, don't you? Oh well.

You actually can swing at a volley. That's called a 'Drive Volley' or 'Drive B' as it's referred to in PoT. The Williams sisters in particular used the Drive Volley when they played Doubles together. It's a difficult shot to perfect especially when the ball's coming fast. But remember Ryoma's match against Yuuta? (In my opinion, his pants ought to have worn out during that match, but… moving on…) Most people hit the Drive Volley only to finish off a point.

By the way, 'lollipop' is an inside joke in my family. (We all play tennis, you see.) When you hit a really weak shot, as if you're merely panning it over the net, we call it a 'lollipop.' Pretty much all underhanded shots are lollipops. Now I want to eat a lollipop.

Chapter 2: Kaeru loses

Author's note: This story will be updated weekly. Thanks to Asami-chann, my beta reader for this story.

Ch. 2 Kaeru loses

Kaeru had been feeling too determined to be nervous when she had initially signed up to play on the girls' tennis team. But now that she was actually on the court wearing a short skirt, revealing her pale, frog-like legs for all to see, she could feel her naturally strong knees shaking. She missed her leg cast and her crutches. It had been much easier to pretend she had a broken leg than to put up with teasing about her hopping. On doctor's orders, she had her own pair of crutches in case her legs ever played up. Fortunately (or unfortunately) she had never honestly needed them since she was seven.

"Hey, you all right?" someone was speaking to her. Kaeru blinked and looked into the face of a girl with dimples and bright, green, shining eyes.

"You must be new to the team. It's a hot day. Why don't we take a walk to the taps?"

The girl… was friendly.

"I'm Fuunare Saeko. I'm in eighth grade," the girl said as they walked along the path at a leisurely pace. "And you are?"

"Gamano Kaeru."

Kaeru wanted to say more and perhaps tell Saeko something about herself but she couldn't articulate any words to say.

Saeko regarded Kaeru in her silence and smiled. "Training your legs, huh? I sometimes do hops too. It's hard work."

"I walk this way," said Kaeru then wondered whether Saeko would respond with an invitation to play tennis.

Saeko continued to smile in an accepting manner. "I guess you can't help it, huh? Don't worry, I won't tease you. The rest of the team is pretty nice as well. The only person I think could be horrid about it is Kagura-chan. She-"

She stopped talking abruptly. Just then, a girl approached Saeko and said something. "Saeko, do you want to play me?" It had to be, Kaeru reflected, the girl Saeko had just been talking about just a moment earlier, judging by the subtle manner in which Saeko stiffened but tried not to show it. Kagura was slimmer and taller than Saeko, even though the two were about the same age. Kagura had long, clean blonde hair done up in two low ponytails. Her nose was shapely although her face was slightly pinched, while Saeko could be described as a bit dumpy. Kagura looked glamorous while Saeko did not. Also, Kaeru wasn't sure whether it was a fashion statement or not but Kagura's skirt went well past her knees. This was not standard.

"I'm sorry, Kagura-chan," Saeko shook her head, "but I'm playing with Kaeru-chan."

Kaeru-chan again…

Kagura turned to face Kaeru and Kaeru had the uneasy feeling as if she was being measured.

"Hello, Kaeru," Kagura said finally. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to play you next. I'm Kagura Devereaux – I'm half-French, you see – but Japanese pronunciation is weird, so I'm Deberou."

It was a telling thing that Kagura introduced herself by saying her given name first. That wasn't very Japanese of her. Like her long skirt, Kagura seemed bent on defying her Japanese heritage.

Kagura stood taller and watched with an even face as Kaeru and Saeko began hitting the ball to each other as warm-up. Today, Kaeru's shots were slow. When she was not under pressure, her tennis seemed to slump. Or perhaps all those shots yesterday really had been flukes.

But there was no mistaking the feeling of elation she got when she got to the net and smashed an overhead for a winner. She had felt that feeling before and not so long ago, either.

"Whew, I'm beat!" Saeko smiled as she wiped her brow, "Good hit, Kaeru-chan!"

Kaeru got the impression that Saeko was not using her full power – far from it. But she didn't comment; she only nodded in acknowledgement when Saeko stepped off the court and Kagura replaced her.

Kaeru thought about Saeko's warning as she gazed at the girl opposite from her. Kagura had not made any nasty comments as Kaeru had thought would happen but there was still an unpleasant vibe in the air: Kagura thought herself superior to Kaeru but was too polite to say so. More like aristocratic, Kaeru thought, and winced. She hated those types.

(In actual fact, Kagura wasn't concerned about Kaeru's legs. A combination of too much dancing and too much tennis had left Kagura with legs almost as deformed as Kaeru's and she hid this with her long skirt. Kaeru's perceptions of Kagura were, in a way, quite off.)

"You may serve first," Kagura said with a cold smile.

Kaeru took the ball and bounced it twice. Her mind was racing. She didn't know how to serve. When she recalled how the pros did it on TV, her memory of the sequence was fuzzy at best. There was a ball toss, she knew that, and she had to arch her body somehow. And then… spring up and hit the ball…? How to do that right…?

As she tossed the ball into the air, she noticed something about what Kagura was doing. She had been crouching as Kaeru had gotten ready but as soon as the ball toss had occurred, Kagura had straightened up and was now hopping quickly between each foot.

"Watch out!" Saeko suddenly called out. "Kagura-chan is a master of footwork. She can get to any ball!"

Master of footwork? Kaeru felt dazed. What did Saeko mean?

She soon found out. After Kaeru hit the ball in, Kagura jumped and twirled through the air. Kaeru had to do a double take but she couldn't react fast enough. Kagura landed low on her knees and then gracefully swept herself back up again but as she did, she twisted her body upwards and hit a slice ball. The ball was a drop shot.

Kaeru dived and pulled her racquet forward but the ball bounced sideways and very low. She couldn't reach it.

She looked up and stared at Kagura, open-mouthed. Even a talkative person would have been at a loss for words.

"Never seen slice before?" Kagura asked and she curled her lip slightly.

"Were you dancing?" Kaeru asked shortly. It was the only explanation for Kagura's bizarre footwork she could come up with.

"Kagura-chan plays a very special kind of tennis," said Saeko. "Look at how she stands."

Kaeru looked. Her eyes widened. Kagura was not wearing any shoes, so it was easy to see that she stood on the tips of her toes.

"Ballet dancer," Kaeru breathed.

"That's right," said Kagura. "I play Ballet Tennis."

Kaeru felt very disturbed. How was Ballet Tennis even possible? Yet… strangely… Kagura pulled it off. She was so quick, too, that she had time for all these fancy flips and sequences. Even though Kagura's shots weren't spectacularly fast, they had lots of spin and it was true what Saeko had said about returning every ball. Her footwork had enough of a professional tennis player's in it so that the Ballet dancing was just an add-on… and a means of throwing off the opponent. And therein lay Kagura's strategy. Kaeru quickly became entranced with watching her play. It would be fair to say that Kaeru forgot to play tennis. She forgot to win.

And before she knew it, Kaeru had lost… 6-0.

Any tennis player knows how it feels to lose 6-0. First, there is denial, almost. "I… lost…?" the player thinks, bewildered. Then comes the thought, "I didn't play that right." Then at last, "No, the other person was too good for me."

It hurts.

That is why it was so surprising to see Kaeru smiling when she lost. It wasn't a forced sort of smile either, but a genuine one. This was a smile that very few people had ever seen.

"She… smiles when she plays tennis," Saeko mused. "Most people frown when they're losing. Or even when they're winning, they're not smiling; they're smirking or deep in concentration. I guess she doesn't take herself too seriously, then?"

"That match was amazing," Kaeru said earnestly.

Another thing Saeko found surprising: Kaeru was being articulate; she was talking more. Tennis, it seemed, honestly made her happy.

"Dance for me again sometime," Kaeru said. "I liked it."

"Oh… okay…" Kagura frowned slightly. She was shocked because Kaeru was not a sore loser. If she had lost 6-0, Armageddon would have occurred. Besides, she didn't play tennis to have some girl compliment her dancing – she played to win. This was not a satisfying victory at all for her.

It felt like… Kagura had lost. She didn't know why she felt that way. She had won 6-0.

She muttered something and went away. Maybe she needed to improve her footwork or something.

"Kagura-chan!" Saeko exclaimed. "Excuse me, Kaeru-chan," she said to the remaining girl. Saeko turned and ran after Kagura, still calling her name.

Kaeru leisurely walked off the courts. She was adjusting the strings on her racquet. She didn't know it but someone had been watching her lose.

It was ninth grader Kuroki Shizuka, girls' team regular. One could imagine Kuroki being old; had sixty years slipped past, she would not look all too different from how she looked now. A face more worn and lined, perhaps, and the once jet black hair tinged with grey; but the eyes would remain the same. They had an ageless quality to it, filled with wisdom which belied youth; and they were the sort of eyes where if one gazed into them, there was no end to their fathomless depths.

Kuroki turned to her fellow regular, Mikata Natsu. "You know, you could learn something from that," she remarked.

Mikata was a curious type. For one thing, she dressed like one of the male regulars and for another, she honestly looked the part. There is a difference between a masculine girl and feminine boy and Mikata was almost certainly the latter in appearance. She had a slender body and a pretty face, but she was also handsome. That and the fact that she did not overplay her masculine role by trying to act overly tough was why she was almost always mistaken for a boy.

"What do you mean learn something?" Mikata asked, frowning. "It looked like Deberou was picking on one of the new players again."

"Why do you play tennis, Natsumaru?" Kuroki asked. 'Natsumaru' was Mikata's nickname because Mikata was so manly.

"Why," Mikata replied, "I play because I'm good at it, of course. Why else?"

"I think," Kuroki said with her mysterious smile, "the coming of that girl was a good thing for the team. She may not be the best player but perchance we'll all end up changing for the better because of her."

"Kuroki, you're much too wise for your own good. People will think you're an old lady."

Kuroki laughed. Grimly. "Natsumaru, you're just saying that because you don't understand what I'm saying. But one day you will, mark my words. One day you'll understand what it means to play tennis."

Tennis seminar of the week: When returning a fast serve, you should jump up lightly on your toes so that your reactions are roughly half-a-step quicker than normal. I'm sure you know this from Ryoma's Split Step technique. A pro is always on his toes to receive and when he hits the ball, he transfers his weight from his back foot and tries to hit through the ball. That is the basics of tennis footwork.

Chapter 3: Who I admire most

Ch. 3 Who I admire most

Several weeks had passed since Kaeru had joined the tennis team. Life went on, classes continued and slowly, ever so slowly, the date of the Nationals drew nearer. Even so, it seemed so far away; it was an elusive goal that needed to be broken down into smaller steps.

One of those steps was the first ranking tournament of the year. This applied to both the girls' and boys' teams, although there was significantly more talk about the boys' tournament. The current eight regulars were talented players and what was more, a seventh grader had entered the ranking division in the hopes of usurping one of the places on the team. Such a phenomenon hadn't occurred since the team captain Tezuka had been in his freshman year. Echizen Ryoma was currently every seventh grader's hero.

"Um… hello… I'd like to join the tennis team," Ryuzaki Sakuno, seventh grade, meekly informed the co-captain Hanae Koyumi. Hanae was a very pretty girl; older than Sakuno, of course, indicated by her developed body. Sakuno was in awe of her.

Hanae nodded calmly, scribbled the new recruit's name on a notebook and then left it to Saeko to make Sakuno feel welcome. As expected of Saeko, she excelled in that area.

Hanae walked up to the team captain of the girls' team, Arai Kyoko, and stood beside her. Kyoko was about Hanae's height and just like Hanae, was quite beautiful. Her skin had a healthy tan to it, and she had brown hair done up in a tight ponytail. She wore a headband as well as a sweatband on her right wrist. Incidentally, her brother was on the tennis team, too: Arai, an eighth grader. But he was by no means as good at tennis as Kyoko.

"Rather cute, isn't it?" Kyoko remarked when Hanae reached her.

"What is?" Hanae asked.

Kyoko inclined her head towards young Sakuno, who was standing, gripping her racquet awkwardly.

"Ryuzaki Sakuno. She's coach Sumire's granddaughter, although I don't reckon that's her motivation for joining the team." She spoke neither too slowly nor too hastily, but she did speak articulately. Her intelligent eyes twinkled with something akin to mirth.

Hanae chuckled. "Are you referring to the seventh grader Echizen Ryoma?"

"Yes, I was. How did you guess?" Kyoko smiled and shook her head wryly. "Oh, I forgot. If it's about tennis, Hana-chan knows about it. If it's about a boy, Hana-chan knows even more."

"You wound me," said Hanae. "For one thing, Echizen's too young and way too short for me. And another, I respect the male regulars too much to flirt with them, either." She sighed. "So what was it that you wanted to say about Ryoma?"

"It's quite nostalgic watching Echizen's progress," Kyoko remarked. "Do you remember two years ago when Tezuka joined the regulars? It feels like yesterday."

Hanae gazed up ahead at the blank expanse of the sky. "As I recall," she said slowly, "you were in love with Tezuka back then, right, Kyoko-san?"

"Yeah…" Kyoko smiled sadly. "It was purely one-sided. Tezuka was much too into tennis to acknowledge I was there. But, I admired him so much I joined the tennis team, even though I had no clue about tennis. And now look at me: I'm team captain. In the end, I just kept going to practice for the game's sake. Before I knew it, tennis became my very life and soul."

She kept gazing at Sakuno as she said this.

There was something unreadable in Kyoko's face, something very human and female. "You see yourself in that girl, don't you?" said Hanae.

"We could be looking at the future of Seigaku's tennis team," Kyoko replied, somewhat cryptically.

She left to go practise, her long, brown hair in a ponytail swishing behind her. Hanae watched her leave and bowed her head in some form of acknowledgement. She shook her head to clear her mind before glancing upwards again.

Hanae spotted Kaeru practising against a wall. She was honing her reflexes by hitting volleys against the wall. It was a strange wall, where the bricks stuck out at awkward angles. Kaeru was hard put reaching every volley and even had to dive for a few. It was quite spectacular to watch. Hanae could not conceal a smile. She knew how hard Kaeru worked on her tennis skills. Every day, even during recess, lunch and after school, Kaeru could be seen practising, and it was remarkable how much she was improving. In a few short weeks, Kaeru had progressed from being utterly hopeless to being able to rally with the best of them. Kagura, who had once beaten Kaeru 6-0, could now only beat her 6-3 or 6-4 if Kaeru was feeling particularly tenacious. Kuroki had said that Kaeru was one to be worth keeping a tab on and Hanae had her marked as a future regular. Maybe she wouldn't reach that status right now but one day she would. If she kept up.

"Gamano," Hanae said to the girl in a level tone, "are you ready to compete in the ranking tournament?"

Kaeru stopped hitting. "Ranking tournament?" she repeated questioningly.

"Yes," Hanae nodded. "You see, a couple of our current regulars are quitting the team this year so that gives newer players like yourself an opportunity to get a spot on the regulars. If you become a regular, you can compete on all the away tournaments and such. Captain's aiming for the Nationals this year."

"Nationals?" Kaeru said suddenly, sharply.

Hanae misinterpreted Kaeru's tone of voice as one of ridicule. "Ever a hardy one is our captain," she said drolly, "considering we didn't even make it past the Metros last year. Oh well. So are you interested in becoming a regular?"

"Yes," Kaeru responded.

Hanae smiled. "That's good. Let's see who you'll be facing off…" She glanced at her notebook. "Your first match is tomorrow against the eighth grader Fuunare Saeko. You know her, yes?"

Kaeru didn't often speak to the other girls on the team except to challenge them for matches. That said, she did know Saeko because the girl was so friendly and she knew enough about tennis to give Kaeru some good advice. In short, Kaeru knew Saeko.

Kaeru was about to say as much when she realised Hanae was no longer standing in front of her. She looked around. Hanae had apparently deserted her company to walk with some Unidentified Male Person (UMP). She was skipping along giggling like a schoolgirl and was flicking her blonde curls out of her eyes on a constant basis.

"Oh, you're so smart, Hikoichi-kun! Tee hee hee!"

What a personality complex, Kaeru thought. Hanae sure changed when she was with boys. Why bother…?

She was so deep in thought that she didn't realise it when she bumped into a UMP herself.

"Oh, Kaeru-chan!" said the UMP cheerfully. "Hello there!"

It had to be Eiji. Kaeru looked up. Indeed it was.

"Hello," she said.

"How's your tennis going, Kaeru-chan?" Eiji asked.

"Good."

"As talkative as ever, I see! You haven't changed at all since class twenty minutes ago, nya!"

Kaeru vaguely wondered whether there was something about tennis that attracted weirdos. Not that she really minded Hanae and Eiji's eccentricities; she found it all very amusing.

Something occurred to her. "Eiji-san. Ranking tournament. Are you playing?"

"Of course I am! Yep! Watch me play, nya!" No doubt Eiji wanted fan girls because his captain had fan girls. Even the little Echizen guy had fan girls.

Kaeru said, "No."

And thus, Eiji was crushed. He was brutally shot down, murdered, and then left to fester in his grave. It's no exaggeration to say Kaeru killed his confidence. To this day, Eiji still does not have a girlfriend.

"What is the best grip for Singles?" Kaeru asked, randomly, once Eiji got over it in approximately two seconds. (After all, he is a buoy.)

Eiji blinked. "Hey… I dunno… I just play Singles the way I play Doubles. Um…" He snapped his head up. "Oishi! Help me! What's the best grip for Singles?"

And thus the question relentlessly prodded at Eiji so he completely forgot about Kaeru's existence. Poor, poor girl.

When Kaeru started walking home, she caught sight of Saeko at the school gate. Saeko looked up, smiled and waved. "Hi, Kaeru-chan!"

"Hello."

"How's your tennis going, Kaeru-chan?"

"Good." Didn't this sound like a conversation she had had earlier on in the day?

"Want me to buy you a soda, Kaeru-chan? I've got some spare change," Saeko said as she jiggled her pockets.

"Okay," said Kaeru.

Thus, Kaeru found herself in the burger store and obtained a free soda. Life was currently good.

"Say, Kaeru-chan, why did you start playing tennis?" Saeko asked as she set two drinks down on the table – one for her and one for Kaeru. "I've been meaning to ask you for a while but I forgot to ask you."

Kaeru reached out and took the soda but didn't quite sip on it yet. "Why?" she asked stonily.

"I dunno. You just seem really into it." Saeko shrugged, and then she looked back up at Kaeru and smiled.

Kaeru pondered Saeko's question very thoughtfully and then answered with all seriousness, "Tennis is fun."

"Is there… anyone who you admire? Anyone you want to be like?"

That was a strange question. The answer was probably Eiji, although that was strictly for tennis. There wasn't any one person Kaeru admired, really.

She frowned. "You're talking weird," she said bluntly.

Saeko blushed. "Yeah, I guess I am," she admitted, sighing. "I guess I've been thinking too much lately now the ranking tournament's drawing so near. You see, last time, I didn't manage to get on the regulars. Only the two top players in each bracket make it and we're playing tomorrow, Hana-sempai told me. I guess… good luck, huh?"

And she started sipping on her soda.

The conversation stopped there, both girls drinking, but each lost in thought.

Saeko was in a pensive mood when she got home. Either Kaeru's personality was starting to rub off on her or she really was nervous about the upcoming match. There was something Saeko had not told Kaeru earlier. There was a regular also playing in their bracket, ninth grader Hayamichi Miyako. Saeko had never beaten Hayamichi before. Unless Saeko defeated Kaeru and got more games than her, there was little chance Saeko could become a regular.

The moment Saeko stepped indoors; she figuratively sprinted for the phone and dialled a number she knew off by heart. "Hello?" she spoke into the ringing phone. "Grandpa?"

An older man's voice answered. "Ah, Saeko. Good to hear from you."

It didn't sound like a very old, weak man. It sounded like a strong, closer to middle-aged sort of man. One could imagine the person on the other end was one who stood straight and lived actively. Saeko smiled hearing her grandfather's voice.

"How's Moscow?" she asked.

"Cold, I tell you. Ha! I'm getting old!"

"Did you win your tournament?"

Saeko's grandfather played on the senior pro's tennis circuit. He was in his sixties and he was still playing amateur tournaments all around the world.

"Well, I came second. I got some prize money, but I reckon I'll be living on soba noodles for a week."

Saeko laughed. "Oh, grandpa! You just hang on there, will you!"

"'Course I will. And how's life for you, sweetie?"

"It's time for the ranking tournament again. I really want to become a regular this time!"

"Ah, yes. Trying to follow in my footsteps, are you, Saeko? I recall I was a regular on Seigaku way back. You know, Sumire and I went to school together. I believe you refer to her as Coach Ryuzaki now."

Saeko giggled. "I know, grandpa, you told me."

"Did I now? I really must be getting long in the tooth." The old man sighed on the other end of the line.

"Grandpa," Saeko began seriously, "I know you never had the luck or coaching to make it to any Grand Slams when you were younger, but you know, you've always been my hero. You're the reason why I joined the Seigaku team."

"Hn. If only your father was more like you. Don't tell him I said that."

"Of course I won't, grandpa. But dad's my hero too, you know! Even though he doesn't play tennis, he's an Aikido master. That's pretty cool."

"I suppose."

Saeko grinned. Her grandfather had never liked Aikido. He said martial arts were a waste of time.

"You know," said Saeko, "dad said to me one time that to perfect something, you have to master the self. Do you know what he means?"

"Um… practise hard?"

"No, no! Something to do with your state of mind, he said."

"All this martial arts psychology is a load of crock-shit if you ask me."

"Grandpa!"

"Oh, excuse my French. I was in Paris last week, you see. Well, anyway, Saeko, I have to go now for the medal ceremony. Thanks for calling me. And good luck in the ranking tournament."

"Yes. Even though Kaeru-chan's my friend, when the time comes, I'll show her no mercy."

Saeko put down the phone.

Tennis seminar of the week: There is, of course, no 'best grip' for Singles. Most professionals use different grips for different shots. For example, you would not hit use the Western grip to volley. Eastern grip is the better choice.

I must be confusing you, though, so let's talk about grip basics. Most beginners are told to grip the racquet as if they're doing a handshake. This handshake grip is the standard eastern grip. It can be used for pretty much all the shots in tennis. If you grip the racquet like you're holding a pan, that's the Western grip. That's a good grip if you enjoy hit hitting the Snake Shot. There are many variations to these standard grips, but we'll talk about that another time.

Chapter 4: The Aikido Return

Ch. 4 The Aikido Return

Night transitioned into day almost alarmingly quickly. Kaeru got up, fed her pet turtle and took her tennis bag to school. After school, the ranking tournament was taking place, so she didn't pay much attention to her classes. How grand. And now she was starting to think like an Englishman. But hey, tennis originated in England. Or was it France?

Saeko was biting her nails when Kaeru saw her. Saeko straightened up and bowed when she spotted Kaeru. "Are you ready to begin?" she asked, in a somewhat stiff tone.

Kaeru wrinkled her nose. How formal. This was so not like Saeko.

"Yes," Kaeru said firmly and Saeko nodded. Together, they walked onto the courts.

"Match between Fuunare and Gamano to start," Hanae announced. She glanced at her clipboard, where she was keeping the scores of all the matches. "Fuunare to serve."

Fuunare took two balls and the match began.

Saeko and Kaeru's match took place in Bracket A. In Bracket B, Kagura and Mikata were facing off. Most of the girls who weren't playing were watching this match. Either that or they were watching Tezuka play.

"Natsumaru is soooooo hot!" the girls collectively sighed as Mikata started bouncing the ball for her serve. Mikata was just so manly in a Bishonen way.

"If only Natsumaru actually was a boy!"

Mikata served; the motions were well-practised and fluid. Even Kagura with her fancy footwork had trouble getting to the serve. It simply ripped through the air.

"There it is!" exclaimed the girls. "Natsumaru's One-Two Punch Serve! Clocked at one-eighty kilometres per hour!"

Mikata's first serve was called the One-Two Punch because she usually put away the receiver's return away for a winner, if there was a return at all. Her serve was crippling in that way to junior high students.

It was pretty hard for the average guy to measure up to Mikata Natsu. It was actually kind of sad.

In Bracket C, a new talent was paving its way on the tennis court. Previously unheard of, Toriyama Asuka in eighth grade was blazing her way through her match. 'Blazing' was the right word for her; she had long, flaming red hair. Asuka was actually a golf player but she played tennis on the side to keep up her aerobic fitness level. Kuroki watched the younger player with interest and realised she might actually have some competition in her bracket.

And finally, in Bracket D, team captain Kyoko was attracting her own fair share of audience. Most of these were male.

Kyoko's brother Arai Masashi fell about bragging about how his sister was as good as Fuji Syusuke. He had nothing else to brag about, after all. Not after being whipped by Echizen and his crappy, wooden racquet. He didn't enter the ranking tournament because he was scared of the possibility of facing Echizen again. Stupid dweeb, as Kyoko aptly put it when she was forced to talk about her annoying younger brother. He wasn't even right about her being as good as Fuji. Nobody was as good as Fuji. Fuji was The Genius. Got it?

Whatever the case, Kyoko won her first match 6-0 without any trouble. When she fished out Hanae to tell her the score, she found the Co-Captain was too engrossed watching Saeko and Kaeru to notice outward distractions.

So Kyoko marked the score on the clipboard herself.

"Who's winning?" Kyoko asked Hanae casually when she was done.

"Fuunare versus Gamano," Hanae answered promptly. She didn't take her eyes off the court. "The score is 3-1, Fuunare's lead."

"Hmm," Kyoko scratched her chin, "so Gamano was broken."

"Admittedly, that's not too difficult to do," Hanae said, frowning. "The serve is the hardest shot to master within a short space of time. And Gamano here is simply not a Singles player."

Kyoko looked up. "I can see what you mean," she remarked. "Gamano can't seem to cover the court too well and when she's at the baseline…" She shook her head. "She's much more comfortable at the net."

Hanae nodded. "But look at Fuunare," she pointed out. "Look at the topspin she's putting on the ball. She's forcing Gamano to stay behind the baseline."

Indeed that was the case. Saeko was initiating the long rallies and it was all Kaeru could do to keep up.

Kyoko frowned. "Fuunare's not going to for many winners."

"No," Hanae agreed. "She's created a rhythm; she's forcing Gamano to make the errors, don't you see?"

"I have to admit," Kyoko said, sighing, "When it comes to tactical play, Fuunare's got Gamano all but outsmarted." She shook her head. "It's hard for a player like Gamano to out-rally Fuunare. If this were Doubles, it would be different."

They stopped talking then to watch the match in silence. Eventually, Kyoko and Hanae had to leave for their own matches. By then, Saeko had extended her lead to 4-1. The two spectators thought they could see where the match was headed from there. So they left. Without a second thought.

It was during that minute they left that Kaeru held her serve to bring the score back up to 4-2. It was a small gesture but Kaeru proved that she was not giving up yet.

It still didn't change the fact Kaeru was down two breaks and Saeko was still in love with the infuriating topspin lob. If Kaeru ever rushed the net, the lob was waiting, and the topspin hit on it usually ensured the shot would go in. There was no way Kaeru could break Saeko when she continued to control the points in such a way. There was nothing, it seemed, that Kaeru could do about it.

As Saeko took her serve again, she said calmly, "Harmony. When you break the way of harmony, your own strength can be used against you. You are your greatest enemy."

Kaeru didn't know what Saeko meant by that so she only raised her eyebrows and said nothing.

Saeko chuckled. When one became accustomed to Kaeru language, one knew that the subtle raising of an eyebrow meant as much as, "What the hell are you talking about?" That was what Kaeru would have said had she liked the sound of her own voice enough.

"It's Aikido," Saeko explained. "The principle behind Aikido is the distribution of power and harmony. You don't need strength when you can borrow your opponent's."

There was no worded reply to that. Kaeru looked up into the sky, blinked once, and then prepared for the next service game.

Saeko frowned slightly. Was Kaeru going to try something?

When Saeko served, Kaeru hit a flat return to Saeko's backhand. There was plenty of oomph behind it. So Kaeru was trying something different…! Well, Saeko thought sardonically, she was going to see about that.

She stepped forward and into the ball, taking it early. And BAM. It was a winner. Perhaps the reason Saeko's shot was so fast was because Saeko had merely reflected Kaeru's drive back at her. Kaeru had never seen Saeko hit a shot like that before. Normally, she would have hit a slice to try and slow down the pace of a flat shot.

"That shot," Kaeru said quietly. "What was it?" She thought a bit. "You normally hit a one-handed backhand but that shot used two hands."

Saeko grinned evilly, or at least, as evilly as a person as affable as Saeko could. "I call it," she said proudly, "the Aikido return."

"Of course," Kaeru said dully; "Harmony." It made sense.

For the second time in the game, Saeko served. Kaeru moved up closer to take the first shot on the early bounce. She was trying to force pressure on Saeko so she would hit a short ball. Unfortunately, Kaeru's timing was slightly out. The ball hit the tape and almost went over but it didn't.

The game score was now 30-0.

Saeko felt her palms sweat. Kaeru would soon get the timing of the on-the-rise shot right. She was just so versatile that way. Saeko's own serve was fairly weak compared to the hard hitters like Mikata and Kyoko. There was always a chance she could get broken. There had to be something she could do.

At last it came to her.

There was something different about Saeko's service action, Kaeru thought. But foolishly, she charged ahead anyway. She darted forward to take the ball to her forehand when ball bounced out wide. A slice serve!

Kaeru quickly lunged for the ball; her return was short and Kaeru had left half the court open. Kaeru realised with a start that her own tactics were being used against her. Saeko had set up the point perfectly. She hit the ball with hard, thumping rhythm straight down the centre of the court. It was just too good.

With a grim, set expression on her face, Saeko took the ball and served once more.

A fault. She hit it into the net. It seemed like she couldn't get the consistency she needed on a slice serve.

Saeko's second serve went in. Kaeru aggressively attacked the ball. Her swing was just a little too early and so the ball landed out a few inches past the baseline. Saeko heaved a sigh of relief at that. She hadn't lost a single point on her service game, which really boosted her confidence.

Most players in Kaeru's position would have self-destructed by now. Saeko needed only one more game to win it, just one. And in that last service game, she had really upped the power. Whenever Kaeru tried something new, she was immediately shot down.

But just like Kaeru, she didn't seem perturbed at all. That was the infuriating thing about her. She always bounced back. One of the boys' team regulars Fuji was always smiling, seemingly for any circumstance. Kaeru was just the same, in a way, but there were differences. Fuji seemed to project the smile at others; Kaeru smiled at herself. And Kaeru's smile, because it was a smile of intense, private pleasure, always seemed more genuine, and therefore, all the more frightening. Saeko looked up at her on-court rival and tried to figure out what Kaeru was thinking.

As Kaeru started bouncing the ball for her serve, she was reflecting upon what Saeko had said earlier. You are your greatest enemy.

What a very, very interesting thing to say.

"Good match, Deberou," Mikata said with her swoon-inducing smile.

"Yeah, you too," Kagura replied, a little gloomily.

Mikata had won 6-1. At least it wasn't 6-0.

"Oh," said Mikata suddenly, "looks like Fuunare and Gamano's match is still on. Care to watch, Deberou?"

"Eh," said Kagura. "Oui." Anything to take her mind off her crushing defeat. Her light footwork was nothing compared to Mikata's tank-like power, especially on her serve.

Kagura and Mikata drew near just as Kaeru was about to begin serving.

"Kaeru!" Kagura exclaimed. "What's the score?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Kagura snorted. "You mean you don't listen to the game score?"

"No."

Kagura and Mikata sweat-dropped. What kind of play was that?

Saeko quietly told Kagura and Mikata the score. It was still 5-2, and Kaeru was down on her serve 15-40.

"Oh," said Kagura in surprise. "It's two match points!"

"Maybe it's a good thing Gamano doesn't listen to the game score," Mikata said dryly. "Otherwise, she'd have good reason to be nervous right now."

Kaeru served.

Tennis seminar of the week: I'm very sorry if you readers don't understand what's going on or if this isn't your cup of tea. Not many PoT fanfics have whole chapters dedicated to tennis matches. I get way into commentating tennis matches when I watch them on TV, so this whole chapter probably sounds like me commentating on a random match.

I've made lots of references to tactical play in this chapter. The main thing was Kaeru's style: the serve-and-volley, so I'll talk about that. It basically consists of serving and then rushing the net. If your serving is good, the opponent probably won't be able to pass you and you'd get an easy shot at the net. The counter to this play, the topspin lob... Well, PoT fans, that's Oishi's Moon Volley.

These days, players rely on hitting winners from the baseline, so that serve-and-volleyers are dying out in the Singles game. I am a sad, idealistic person, so that is why I made Kaeru play serve-and-volley. Ha ha.

Chapter 5: Mastering the Self

Ch. 5 Mastering the Self

Two match points. Kaeru's hands ought to have been shaking. But no, they were as steady as ever.

Saeko returned the ball with heavy topspin, just within the line. The ball bounced above Kaeru's shoulder and she took it with a double-handed backhand. Saeko returned that shot too and then Kaeru got into position, swung her racquet…

… and hit a drop shot.

Saeko immediately scrambled towards the net and got the ball back, but Kaeru was ready. She had rushed the net too, so now both Saeko and Kaeru were within volleying distance.

"Oh!" Kagura exclaimed. "I see what Kaeru's trying to do!"

"She's lured Fuunare towards the net, where she's weakest," Mikata said.

And so it happened that Kaeru hit a simple, clean, put-away volley against Saeko. She had saved one match point. Could she save the other?

She served and Saeko hit the ball into the net.

Kagura gasped. "What happened there?"

Mikata grimaced. "She's choking. She needs to loosen up if she wants to win the game."

"May I ask why you never bothered to choke against me?" Kagura asked dryly.

Mikata just shrugged nonchalantly. What a badass stud she was.

Back on the court, the score was Deuce. After she served, Kaeru took to the net and Saeko responded with a lob, although the lob went way too far past the baseline to even be considered close.

The spectators slapped their foreheads and shook their heads at the degeneration of Saeko's game. Kaeru might actually win it if she kept her nonchalance up. It crossed Mikata's mind that perhaps Kaeru was only pretending not to listen to the score as a way of psyching Saeko out, but Saeko and Kagura knew Kaeru too well that she wouldn't resort to any kind of dirty tactics to win. She just, well, played. One might have thought Kaeru ought to have felt some sort of pressure because if she didn't win this match, she might not get on the regulars; and if she didn't make it to the regulars, she wouldn't make it to the Nationals, which was pretty much Kaeru's ambition ever since that night she had played Doubles with Eiji. But Kaeru's mind was a curious thing, for the girl forgot meaningless details like that when she played tennis, be it against a wall or whoever. And that was what made her such a frightening opponent: the fact that it seemed impossible to get the mental edge over her. That was what was going through Saeko's mind.

The next point Saeko won. Running to the backhand return, she used the Aikido return. Kaeru lunged but missed the fast ball.

"How does she hit it?" Kagura asked aloud, curiously.

Mikata explained, "When the other player hits a flat shot, Fuunare reflects the shot by using the double-handed backhand. The ball stays for just a split second longer on the strings than on a normal return, during which Fuunare has time to aim the return to any area of the court she wants."

"Wow, you know a lot," Kagura said enviously. She sighed and went back to watching the match.

Okay, Saeko was thinking as she sighed heavily. Another match point. She shouldn't muff it again. She looked up at Kaeru, not without some apprehension. Controlled aggression was what she needed. But what was Kaeru going to do…?

Kaeru served a fault.

The next serve… was a let.

The serve after that… was in.

Saeko pretty much died from the tension she had been feeling. That probably explained why she hit the Aikido return into the Doubles court, not the Singles court. In her anxiety and general unease, perhaps she had forgotten the rules of tennis. Most probably she just lost coordination and muscle control.

She was feeling sick and sweaty, and her stomach was churning, although it was quite empty. When the ball came towards her, she felt almost paralysed. In vain, she tried to stave off the negative thoughts creeping up on her. But it was like being cornered in a dark alleyway watching a murderer approaching with a knife in his hands. She knew, inevitably…

Kaeru held her serve. The score was now 5-3.

No worries, Saeko thought firmly. She was still a break up.

But the idea of serving for the match unsettled her. The average reader would probably not understand why Saeko was being affected by such crippling nerves after playing so well earlier. The answer is, Saeko coveted a spot on the regulars so much that now that it seemed with her reach, she was almost scared of it becoming reality. Too good to be true, she thought. And the more she thought, the worse she played. And the worse she played, the more she thought. It was a deadly cycle.

Kaeru broke Saeko then held serve to bring the score to 5-5. It wasn't that Kaeru was playing particularly well; it was that Saeko was playing horrifically bad. All of her lobs were going out; she over-hit the topspin; and she double-faulted twice in a row, to name just a few of her mishaps. Kaeru must have been wondering what on earth had come over Saeko for her to play so badly. Tennis was slightly less enjoyable when the other person couldn't hit the ball over the net.

In the end, Kaeru won 7-5. After getting three match points back when the score was 5-2, Saeko had barely scored a point.

She felt very numb.

"I can't believe," Kagura said, "Saeko lost it. She had it wrapped in the bag."

Mikata sighed and shook her head.

"Good game," said Kaeru, and shook Saeko's hand. Saeko only nodded dumbly and she looked as if she was about to cry. Kaeru, with her sharp eyes, must surely have noticed Saeko's slightly contorted face and damp eyes.

It wasn't that Kaeru was cold or emotionally distant; it was that she honestly didn't know what to say. Even at the best of times, words failed her.

Yet she tried to speak.

"You are your greatest enemy."

Saeko looked up and blinked. "Excuse me?" she said, a little more sharply than she had intended. But she was too keyed up to apologise.

"That's what you said," Kaeru told her simply. "And you're right."

Saeko realised then what Kaeru had been trying to say. "I made myself lose, didn't I?" she said. She looked and felt gloomy. Her own words had come back to haunt her in the end. Next time she had better consider her own wisdom before imparting it on anyone else. Saeko sighed heavily.

Kaeru said: "Tennis is ingenious."

For the second time, Saeko looked up with curiosity.

"Always a second chance," Kaeru said.

She paused for a second, saying nothing. Saeko waited for Kaeru to continue.

"You can still be a regular."

"I can?" Saeko was bewildered.

Kaeru nodded. "Beat everyone else."

"B-But Hayamichi-!"

"Start with yourself," Kaeru said.

Thus spoken, she said no more, and stepped off the courts to get herself a drink.

Saeko stood very still and in her mind tried to piece together Kaeru's fragmented speech. Did Kaeru mean that she still had a chance, that all she really needed to do if she was to become a regular was to… master the self?

All of a sudden, her father's words came back to her. Saeko's father, an Aikido master, had said a great many things about sport which Saeko did not understand, and one of them was that defeating the self was the true path to mastery.

Saeko knew now. It was as if a lamp had turned on inside her brain. Sport was not solely about overcoming others. It was about personal development: becoming stronger, faster and fitter – physically as well as mentally. And only when you leaped over each obstacle and gained the confidence and skills needed – only then was achieving highest possible.

"Hello, grandpa?"

Saeko clutched the phone in her hands as she lay on the bed, twiddling with the cord.

"Saeko?" Her grandfather's gruff voice sounded happy. "Did you win?"

"Not against Kaeru-chan, no. But I won my other match 6-0. I'm playing Hayamichi-sempai tomorrow."

"Good luck, Saeko."

"Thanks." Saeko hesitated and said, "Grandpa, I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"How close were you to making a break in your career?"

There was no reply on the other end.

"Well?"

"I got wiped out on the first round of the US Open, but I made it to the third round of Wimbledon." Her grandfather sounded rueful.

"Did you choke?" Saeko asked.

A pause, then…

"Yes."

And that explained it. Ever since then, he must have wondered what might have happened if he had gone on to win Wimbledon. Forever brooding on what might have been… that in itself may have spelled the doom for his career.

"You know," said Saeko's grandfather suddenly, "At Wimbledon, there is an archway you must pass to enter the Centre Court. On that archway there are two lines inscribed on it: 'If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two imposters just the same.' That's what I did, Saeko, that's what I did. I'll never forget Wimbledon as long as I live."

And that was why Saeko's grandfather continued to play tennis, even though his career had gone nowhere.

Saeko sniffed and wiped her eyes, and in a low voice, she said, "Thank you, grandpa."

Meanwhile, Kaeru was staying back at the school late to practise her serve. Eiji had tried to talk to her earlier but did not even succeed in getting a single word from Kaeru, even though she could nod and had used hand signals to tell him to go away.

"Kaeru-chaaaaaaaaaan! What happened? You're talking even less than usual! Have I done something wrong?"

Kaeru hadn't even bothered telling him she had used up all her daily quota of words on Saeko and thus had none left for Eiji. Weird, huh?

In any case, she was looking forward to tomorrow.

Tennis seminar of the week: 'If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two imposters just the same.' These are two lines from American writer Rudyard Kipling's poem.

Wimbledon is the oldest and most traditional of the four Grand Slams. Played on grass courts, traditionally it has been won by the greatest serve-and-volleyers. (I keep getting back to that, don't I?) It originated way back in 1877, and through Wimbledon you can trace all the changes in the game of tennis back when it was an amateur sport and to today, where there is a need for professionalism in order to win.

Chapter 6: I will definitely win!

Ch. 7 The Golden Pair

The next day, Kaeru wondered why she ever signed up to be on the regular team at all.

Not only did dearest captain Kyoko make the team run countless laps around courts, she worked them all hard in various forms of training. Endurance training, control training, reflex training; you name it – Kyoko made them do it.

The worst part was when Kyoko brought a jug of vile green liquid onto the courts. "I bought this from Inui-kun," she cheerfully explained when asked. "He calls it his special, deluxe, vegetable juice."

Everyone eyed the bubbling Inui juice dubiously.

"Don't worry," Kyoko smiled in such an innocent way that it had to be sadistic. "Inui assured me it's all edible."

The fact that dearest captain Kyoko actually hung around types like Inui was disturbing in itself, not to mention the actual juice.

"I'll drink it," Mikata said at last. "I mean, how bad could it be?"

Everyone watched fearfully as a smiling Kyoko presented Mikata with a glass of Inui juice. Mikata drank it all. When she was done, she slowly put the glass down, stared at it, and then ran out of the courts bawling like a toddler.

The regulars slowly began to back away, because if the juice could turn Natsumaru into a girl, it had to be bad.

"Well, chop, chop, team!" Kyoko's cheerful voice floated over to them. "Whoever's last gets a special serving of Inui juice!"

Sufficiently motivated, the team practised with a vengeance.

"I take back what I said about you being scary," Asuka said to Kuroki. "Now I know Kyoko-buchou's scarier."

"Frankly," said Kuroki, "I agree with you."

Despite the oddities and discomforts of training, Kaeru had to admit she actually liked it. After all, it was tennis and besides that, it was awfully endearing to have people around her, sweating with her, training with her and dreaming with her. She had companions, allies, or maybe… they were friends…? Maybe…

Every day, Kaeru was getting better at tennis. She was obliged to. After all, the District Prelims were coming up in a few days and feverishly, the team prepared for it. In spite of herself, Kaeru was feeling nervous and pressured. Before, she had been playing solely for herself; now she was on a team. These matches threatened more than just her dignity and ambition, which to her didn't really mean much in the scheme of things. No. The dignity and ambition of the team was at stake, and Kaeru liked and respected the captain too much to let her down.

That was why after school on Friday, Kaeru walked (er, hopped) about by herself and tried to psyche herself up for the big day tomorrow. She thought maybe an ice cream would soothe her nerves. So, counting her money, she made her way to the ice cream shop and went inside.

She was immediately glomped.

"Kaeru-chan, nice to see you here! How are you?"

She hadn't actually seen Eiji since she had joined the tennis team. Well, that was a lie. He was in her class. She just hadn't spoken to him in a while because she had other things on her mind.

Anyway, the interesting thing, Kaeru noted, was that Eiji was not alone. Also standing in line for ice cream was the other half of the Golden Pair: Oishi Syuichiroh. Oishi was the quiet, dependable co-captain of the boy's team, a lot like Hanae when she wasn't fawning over boys. Kaeru liked him.

"Hello," Oishi said when he noticed Kaeru was looking at him. "Eiji, is this your friend?"

"No!" Eiji announced ceremoniously. "This is Kaeru-chan – my fan girl, nya!"

There was silence for a moment.

"Are you sure?" Oishi asked doubtfully.

"Buy me ice cream," Kaeru said.

Eiji sulked in the corner, feeling deflated.

After everyone had gotten themselves ice cream (Eiji or Oishi treated Kaeru; she couldn't remember who but the fact was that she got away with it because she's a cute girl), they settled down on a park bench to watch little kids play on the swings. No, they weren't that bored and they weren't pedophiles. They sat on the bench so they could talk.

"Wow, Kaeru-chan, you're on the regulars already?" Eiji asked.

Kaeru nodded.

"So," said Oishi, "that must mean you're playing in the District Regionals tomorrow, like we are."

Kaeru nodded.

"Oishi and I got together so we could discuss our Doubles strategy for tomorrow, nya," Eiji explained.

"Are you nervous, Kaeru-san?" Oishi asked, looking concerned.

Kaeru nodded. Just as she had trusted Eiji, she also trusted Oishi. Both of them were very nice people, she thought.

Then she finally said something.

"I'm playing number two Doubles. Probably." She couldn't imagine getting any other type of match, not at her level of experience.

"Really?" said Oishi thoughtfully. "Well, you just have to go out there and do your best. You don't have to be too hard on yourself." As he said this, he placed a comforting hand on Kaeru's shoulder.

Despite the fact that she was squashed between two teenage males on a park bench and one of them had a hand on her shoulder, Kaeru's heart beat slowed down considerably. She felt much better in controlling her nerves.

"HOI! HOI!" Eiji squealed suddenly, and Kaeru's heartbeat accelerated in alarm. "Oishi, why don't we give Kaeru-chan some pointers, nya? I'm sure we'd make good teachers."

Kaeru clutched her chest and exhaled slowly.

"Well…" Oishi was saying slowly. "Only if Kaeru-san wants to learn…"

Kaeru breathed out deeply one more time. Then she looked from Oishi's face to Eiji's face. Both of them looked serious about this, which, Kaeru suddenly realised, was extremely lucky of her. Imagine getting pointers from the Golden Pair of Seigaku! Kaeru admired them both as players very greatly. She smiled and nodded.

Because Seigaku's girls' team was one of the lower ranked seeds, the regulars had to turn up early in the morning at the appointed tennis courts. On one part of the tennis park, the boys were playing and on the other, the girls. It was quite a simple thing for the girls to cross over and watch the boys play.

The earliest arrival to the courts was Kaeru. She was so early only the tournament organisers and the occasional junior high kid were floating around. In the early morning privacy, Kaeru took to the courts and did some last minute practice, mostly of shots that she thought would be useful. Vaguely, she wondered if she had done enough.

At Asuka's house, Asuka's mother said, "Here are your sandwiches, Asuka. I hope they'll last you the day."

"Thanks, mum." Asuka then figuratively conjured a packet of playing cards from out of nowhere. "Say, pick a card."

Asuka's mother picked a card.

"Give it back."

She gave it back. Asuka shuffled the deck and then picked a card out of the middle.

"Is this your card?"

"Yes, it is," replied Asuka's mother, looking amused.

"Looks like Lady Luck's on my side today," Asuka grinned. She slung her tennis bag as well as her box of sandwiches over her shoulder. "Well, see ya!"

At Saeko's house, Saeko was making a last-minute call to her grandfather, who was wishing her luck in the tournament.

"Saeko!" her mother called her. "You have to go now!"

"Okay!" Saeko answered. She said into the phone, "I have to go now, grandpa! Talk to you later!" And she hung up.

Kagura walked briskly to where she needed to go. She was wearing earphones and was listening to ballet music as she went along. She needed to get into the rhythm of her footwork.

At Mikata's house, Mikata was in her backyard practising her serve so she could knock down cans. After knocking down roughly a dozen cans, she stood up, put her racquet away in her bag and set off towards the tennis courts.

Kuroki was taking the bus. When she stepped on, she immediately saw that Hanae was sitting at the back, reading a magazine quietly to herself. Kuroki sat next to her and casually, she peered at the pages of Hanae's magazine; it was filled with pictures of semi-naked Asian pretty boys. Kuroki rolled her eyes and took out her knitting and so occupied herself until she reached the right stop.

Kyoko and her brother Arai were getting a lift to the courts from their parents.

"Good luck, brother," Kyoko said. Was that sarcasm in her voice? "Have fun cheering on the regulars."

"Shut up, sis," said Arai.

One by one, the rest of the team arrived, every member looking fresh and eager to play. When everyone had gathered inside the gates, Kyoko said, "Seigaku's one of the bottom seeds in this tournament, but be glad we're seeded at all. We probably won't get too difficult a match-up in the first round."

They were drawn to play Oyuki junior high in the first round, a school which had only won the District Regionals once in the last fifteen years of its running. The second round match looked tougher, Kakkenoki, the top seed. Not only was Kakkenoki's girls' team strong, their boys' team was also the second-highest seed in their division. As for the finals, it could be anyone, but most likely the second seed, Ramu Academy, which the Seigaku girls knew very little about.

"This could be tough," Kyoko said. "We'll take it one round at a time. Are all of you ready?"

"YES!" the entire team chorused.

Kaeru looked down at her racquet and tried to recall all of what Eiji and Oishi had taught her.

Keep calm, she thought.

Tennis seminar of the week: I don't know if anyone even reads these…

Anyway, there's no seminar today for two reasons: 1.) I can't be bothered. 2.) There was no tennis this chapter to relate the seminar to.

So instead, I'm going to showcase a random bonus Valentines Day oneshot. It is set around or maybe before this chapter, so the day actually isn't Valentines Day, but it's about crushes and crap, so close enough, I say.

Without further ado…

Bonus story

Go down the path

Suzuki Jin really didn't like his classmates Kikumaru and Fuji. Just because they played tennis, nearly all the girls in the class liked them. They weren't even that good-looking, anyway. And besides, tennis was a sport for gay people. Suzuki was often seen casting resentful and envious glances at Kikumaru and Fuji from his seat behind them, and if he really thought about it, he did this not just because he hated Seigaku's regulars but because he hated himself just that little bit more.

Suzuki was a rather plain boy: freckled, fair complexion, short, orange hair. He was not much to look at as a junior high student but by the time he was in college he would probably be quite handsome. He liked soccer and basketball, was good at maths and was a horrible speller. Among students, he didn't particularly stand out. And he didn't want to.

Perhaps it was because Gamano Kaeru stuck out like a sore thumb that Suzuki was drawn to her. At first sight, Kaeru seemed nerdy because she was quiet and reserved, but she consistently scored lowest in the class. She hopped with both legs instead of walked. She never smiled.

Except when she was playing tennis. One day, Suzuki was walking past the tennis courts when he saw her on court playing a match. Kaeru had a broad grin on her face. It was almost as if she a different person but at the same time… not.

Whenever Suzuki saw her after that, he also saw her smile. It was only in his mind's eye but she was cute. So, so cute. And then he started seeing her smile when she wasn't around, like when he was trying to sleep. He made up his mind that he liked her and wanted to get closer to her.

Just like any boy in love, Suzuki attempted to achieve this by… teasing the crap out of Kaeru.

"Hey, look it's the frog girl!" he'd call out good-naturedly. "Off to play tennis, huh? Is that all you ever do?"

Kaeru never responded to any of his teasing and instead chose to sit with Kikumaru and Fuji so she could talk about tennis to them.

When Suzuki thought about it, that was when he really started to dislike those two. As in, really dislike.

Fuji was creepy. He had the sort of smile on his face which you couldn't tell was real or not or if it vanished the moment your back was turned. And Kikumaru was just too hyperactive and too annoying and much too touchy-feely.

Suzuki was once assigned to work with them for a history project. Oh joy. The only consolation he got out of it was that he was in the group with Kaeru. She looked as amused as Suzuki felt.

They were working in relative silence for all of two seconds. Then Kikumaru asked Kaeru randomly, "Nya, Kaeru-chan! If you had to date one of us in the group, who would it be?"

Suzuki blanched. What kind of question was that to ask to a girl?

Fuji looked up, looking as amused as ever. Suzuki pricked his ears up attentively as Kaeru replied.

"No one."

"No, you have to pick one!" Kikumaru answered gleefully. "And death is not an option!"

Kaeru said nothing. Her silence wasn't uncomfortable; it was more like, "Your question is stupid and has nothing to do with history, so please just shut up because you are looking foolish."

Unfortunately for Kaeru, once Kikumaru got a random idea in his head that he really liked, he refused to let it go. "Nyaaaaa! Come on, Kaeru-chan! Who is it? Who?" He didn't want to date Kaeru himself, he just wanted to know because he was Kikumaru.

Because she was so annoyed, Kaeru broke her trademark silence.

"Fuji," she said.

Kikumaru laughed. Fuji smiled at Suzuki's pain. Suzuki's heart was breaking.

Those three weren't the only ones who were listening to Kaeru. On the adjacent table, Hanae heard the words, noticed Suzuki's reaction and looked down. The history project was boring in comparison to what she had just witnessed.

Later on, she caught up to Suzuki and said, "You should just tell her how much you like her. Be honest."

"Tell who?" Suzuki asked blankly. Then he got it. "Oh." His face went red. "H-How did you know I liked Kaeru-san?"

Hanae said bluntly, "It's kind of transparent. So go. Tell her how you feel."

Suzuki was silent for a moment. Then he said, "I'm transferring to Ginka soon. It doesn't matter." He was too afraid.

Hanae scoffed. "Oh, tosh! You should still confess to her. She'd like that."

Suzuki stuttered, "W-What kind of girl is she like? Does she feel the same way about me?"

"Put it this way," said Hanae. "Gamano's the type who brings her own homemade chocolates to school on Valentines Day-"

Romantic. Suzuki liked those types of girls.

"-just so she can eat them herself," Hanae finished.

But of course, Suzuki didn't hear that. He was going to admit to Kaeru that he liked her. He was going to find out once and for all who she liked, whether it was Fuji or whoever. And he was going to do it right now, before she had club activities to go to.

He found her on the way to the changing rooms. She was humming something softly to herself. Suzuki vaguely recognised the tune from an old folk song his mother used to sing to him. He couldn't remember the words now. But memories of his early childhood washed over him, of songs he loved to sing and the gushing of relatives: "Jin-kun has such a nice voice! He could be a singer when he grows up…"

Suzuki shook himself. "Kaeru-san. There's something I have to say to you."

Kaeru turned around and looked at him with half-closed eyes.

There were a million things he wanted to say and because he wanted to say them all at once, nothing came out the way he wanted it to.

"Ah… That is… Kaeru-san… Um…"

She stood still for a moment as he continued to fumble over his words, and then slowly she began to turn back around so she could keep walking.

He cried, "No, wait!"

He grabbed her shoulder. She twisted her head and her cool eyes bored into his.

He said helplessly, "Kaeru-san, I like you."

Oh great. He had to blurt it out, didn't he? Now how was she going to react?

Kaeru nodded and said, "Okay." Although she motioned slightly to indicate she wanted him to let go of her, she made no real resistance against his hold.

He let go.

"Okay? Is that all you think? You don't like someone else, do you?"

Kaeru solemnly shook her head.

He stepped backwards and faltered. "I'm transferring to a different school soon, so I just wanted to say… goodbye…"

He looked at her to see if she displayed any sentimentality. She didn't.

"Good luck," she said simply.

She turned around and began to walk off. She was crooning part of the lyrics of the tune she had been humming earlier.

"Even though it's scary, go down the path, go down the path."

She started to sing the song from the top again. He was suddenly struck by a sudden fancy and began to sing with her. He didn't know what he was doing. But the words came out of his mouth, a beautiful melody, harmonising with her.

"Go down the path, go down the path…"

She stopped singing suddenly and he was halfway through the second line when he realised this. His voice trailed off into an embarrassed silence.

"You sing well," she said, not sounding too surprised.

He flushed and went very red. He didn't want people to think he was a wuss because he sung, so he seldom sung in front of people any more. Singing made him stand out among other people and he didn't want to do that for fear of teasing. It was so rare to hear compliments instead of jibes for his talents.

He almost didn't hear Kaeru's next words because she was still walking and was by now quite some distance away.

"Do your best."

For the last time before he transferred, Suzuki watched Kaeru play tennis. For the last time, he saw her true smile. She really did stand out when she played tennis. She was so, so cute.

After that Suzuki went home, contentedly. He was singing quietly.

Chapter 7: The Golden Pair

Ch. 7 The Golden Pair

The next day, Kaeru wondered why she ever signed up to be on the regular team at all.

Not only did dearest captain Kyoko make the team run countless laps around courts, she worked them all hard in various forms of training. Endurance training, control training, reflex training; you name it – Kyoko made them do it.

The worst part was when Kyoko brought a jug of vile green liquid onto the courts. "I bought this from Inui-kun," she cheerfully explained when asked. "He calls it his special, deluxe, vegetable juice."

Everyone eyed the bubbling Inui juice dubiously.

"Don't worry," Kyoko smiled in such an innocent way that it had to be sadistic. "Inui assured me it's all edible."

The fact that dearest captain Kyoko actually hung around types like Inui was disturbing in itself, not to mention the actual juice.

"I'll drink it," Mikata said at last. "I mean, how bad could it be?"

Everyone watched fearfully as a smiling Kyoko presented Mikata with a glass of Inui juice. Mikata drank it all. When she was done, she slowly put the glass down, stared at it, and then ran out of the courts bawling like a toddler.

The regulars slowly began to back away, because if the juice could turn Natsumaru into a girl, it had to be bad.

"Well, chop, chop, team!" Kyoko's cheerful voice floated over to them. "Whoever's last gets a special serving of Inui juice!"

Sufficiently motivated, the team practised with a vengeance.

"I take back what I said about you being scary," Asuka said to Kuroki. "Now I know Kyoko-buchou's scarier."

"Frankly," said Kuroki, "I agree with you."

Despite the oddities and discomforts of training, Kaeru had to admit she actually liked it. After all, it was tennis and besides that, it was awfully endearing to have people around her, sweating with her, training with her and dreaming with her. She had companions, allies, or maybe… they were friends…? Maybe…

Every day, Kaeru was getting better at tennis. She was obliged to. After all, the District Prelims were coming up in a few days and feverishly, the team prepared for it. In spite of herself, Kaeru was feeling nervous and pressured. Before, she had been playing solely for herself; now she was on a team. These matches threatened more than just her dignity and ambition, which to her didn't really mean much in the scheme of things. No. The dignity and ambition of the team was at stake, and Kaeru liked and respected the captain too much to let her down.

That was why after school on Friday, Kaeru walked (er, hopped) about by herself and tried to psyche herself up for the big day tomorrow. She thought maybe an ice cream would soothe her nerves. So, counting her money, she made her way to the ice cream shop and went inside.

She was immediately glomped.

"Kaeru-chan, nice to see you here! How are you?"

She hadn't actually seen Eiji since she had joined the tennis team. Well, that was a lie. He was in her class. She just hadn't spoken to him in a while because she had other things on her mind.

Anyway, the interesting thing, Kaeru noted, was that Eiji was not alone. Also standing in line for ice cream was the other half of the Golden Pair: Oishi Syuichiroh. Oishi was the quiet, dependable co-captain of the boy's team, a lot like Hanae when she wasn't fawning over boys. Kaeru liked him.

"Hello," Oishi said when he noticed Kaeru was looking at him. "Eiji, is this your friend?"

"No!" Eiji announced ceremoniously. "This is Kaeru-chan – my fan girl, nya!"

There was silence for a moment.

"Are you sure?" Oishi asked doubtfully.

"Buy me ice cream," Kaeru said.

Eiji sulked in the corner, feeling deflated.

After everyone had gotten themselves ice cream (Eiji or Oishi treated Kaeru; she couldn't remember who but the fact was that she got away with it because she's a cute girl), they settled down on a park bench to watch little kids play on the swings. No, they weren't that bored and they weren't pedophiles. They sat on the bench so they could talk.

"Wow, Kaeru-chan, you're on the regulars already?" Eiji asked.

Kaeru nodded.

"So," said Oishi, "that must mean you're playing in the District Regionals tomorrow, like we are."

Kaeru nodded.

"Oishi and I got together so we could discuss our Doubles strategy for tomorrow, nya," Eiji explained.

"Are you nervous, Kaeru-san?" Oishi asked, looking concerned.

Kaeru nodded. Just as she had trusted Eiji, she also trusted Oishi. Both of them were very nice people, she thought.

Then she finally said something.

"I'm playing number two Doubles. Probably." She couldn't imagine getting any other type of match, not at her level of experience.

"Really?" said Oishi thoughtfully. "Well, you just have to go out there and do your best. You don't have to be too hard on yourself." As he said this, he placed a comforting hand on Kaeru's shoulder.

Despite the fact that she was squashed between two teenage males on a park bench and one of them had a hand on her shoulder, Kaeru's heart beat slowed down considerably. She felt much better in controlling her nerves.

"HOI! HOI!" Eiji squealed suddenly, and Kaeru's heartbeat accelerated in alarm. "Oishi, why don't we give Kaeru-chan some pointers, nya? I'm sure we'd make good teachers."

Kaeru clutched her chest and exhaled slowly.

"Well…" Oishi was saying slowly. "Only if Kaeru-san wants to learn…"

Kaeru breathed out deeply one more time. Then she looked from Oishi's face to Eiji's face. Both of them looked serious about this, which, Kaeru suddenly realised, was extremely lucky of her. Imagine getting pointers from the Golden Pair of Seigaku! Kaeru admired them both as players very greatly. She smiled and nodded.

Because Seigaku's girls' team was one of the lower ranked seeds, the regulars had to turn up early in the morning at the appointed tennis courts. On one part of the tennis park, the boys were playing and on the other, the girls. It was quite a simple thing for the girls to cross over and watch the boys play.

The earliest arrival to the courts was Kaeru. She was so early only the tournament organisers and the occasional junior high kid were floating around. In the early morning privacy, Kaeru took to the courts and did some last minute practice, mostly of shots that she thought would be useful. Vaguely, she wondered if she had done enough.

At Asuka's house, Asuka's mother said, "Here are your sandwiches, Asuka. I hope they'll last you the day."

"Thanks, mum." Asuka then figuratively conjured a packet of playing cards from out of nowhere. "Say, pick a card."

Asuka's mother picked a card.

"Give it back."

She gave it back. Asuka shuffled the deck and then picked a card out of the middle.

"Is this your card?"

"Yes, it is," replied Asuka's mother, looking amused.

"Looks like Lady Luck's on my side today," Asuka grinned. She slung her tennis bag as well as her box of sandwiches over her shoulder. "Well, see ya!"

At Saeko's house, Saeko was making a last-minute call to her grandfather, who was wishing her luck in the tournament.

"Saeko!" her mother called her. "You have to go now!"

"Okay!" Saeko answered. She said into the phone, "I have to go now, grandpa! Talk to you later!" And she hung up.

Kagura walked briskly to where she needed to go. She was wearing earphones and was listening to ballet music as she went along. She needed to get into the rhythm of her footwork.

At Mikata's house, Mikata was in her backyard practising her serve so she could knock down cans. After knocking down roughly a dozen cans, she stood up, put her racquet away in her bag and set off towards the tennis courts.

Kuroki was taking the bus. When she stepped on, she immediately saw that Hanae was sitting at the back, reading a magazine quietly to herself. Kuroki sat next to her and casually, she peered at the pages of Hanae's magazine; it was filled with pictures of semi-naked Asian pretty boys. Kuroki rolled her eyes and took out her knitting and so occupied herself until she reached the right stop.

Kyoko and her brother Arai were getting a lift to the courts from their parents.

"Good luck, brother," Kyoko said. Was that sarcasm in her voice? "Have fun cheering on the regulars."

"Shut up, sis," said Arai.

One by one, the rest of the team arrived, every member looking fresh and eager to play. When everyone had gathered inside the gates, Kyoko said, "Seigaku's one of the bottom seeds in this tournament, but be glad we're seeded at all. We probably won't get too difficult a match-up in the first round."

They were drawn to play Oyuki junior high in the first round, a school which had only won the District Regionals once in the last fifteen years of its running. The second round match looked tougher, Kakinoki, the top seed. Not only was Kakinoki's girls' team strong, their boys' team was also the second-highest seed in their division. As for the finals, it could be anyone, but most likely the second seed, Ramu Academy, which the Seigaku girls knew very little about.

"This could be tough," Kyoko said. "We'll take it one round at a time. Are all of you ready?"

"YES!" the entire team chorused.

Kaeru looked down at her racquet and tried to recall all of what Eiji and Oishi had taught her.

Keep calm, she thought.

Tennis seminar of the week: I don't know if anyone even reads these…

Anyway, there's no seminar today for two reasons: 1.) I can't be bothered. 2.) There was no tennis this chapter to relate the seminar to.

So instead, I'm going to showcase a random bonus Valentines Day oneshot. It is set around or maybe before this chapter, so the day actually isn't Valentines Day, but it's about crushes and crap, so close enough, I say.

Without further ado…

Bonus story

Go down the path

Suzuki Jin really didn't like his classmates Kikumaru and Fuji. Just because they played tennis, nearly all the girls in the class liked them. They weren't even that good-looking, anyway. And besides, tennis was a sport for gay people. Suzuki was often seen casting resentful and envious glances at Kikumaru and Fuji from his seat behind them, and if he really thought about it, he did this not just because he hated Seigaku's regulars but because he hated himself just that little bit more.

Suzuki was a rather plain boy: freckled, fair complexion, short, orange hair. He was not much to look at as a junior high student but by the time he was in college he would probably be quite handsome. He liked soccer and basketball, was good at maths and was a horrible speller. Among students, he didn't particularly stand out. And he didn't want to.

Perhaps it was because Gamano Kaeru stuck out like a sore thumb that Suzuki was drawn to her. At first sight, Kaeru seemed nerdy because she was quiet and reserved, but she consistently scored lowest in the class. She hopped with both legs instead of walked. She never smiled.

Except when she was playing tennis. One day, Suzuki was walking past the tennis courts when he saw her on court playing a match. Kaeru had a broad grin on her face. It was almost as if she a different person but at the same time… not.

Whenever Suzuki saw her after that, he also saw her smile. It was only in his mind's eye but she was cute. So, so cute. And then he started seeing her smile when she wasn't around, like when he was trying to sleep. He made up his mind that he liked her and wanted to get closer to her.

Just like any boy in love, Suzuki attempted to achieve this by… teasing the crap out of Kaeru.

"Hey, look it's the frog girl!" he'd call out good-naturedly. "Off to play tennis, huh? Is that all you ever do?"

Kaeru never responded to any of his teasing and instead chose to sit with Kikumaru and Fuji so she could talk about tennis to them.

When Suzuki thought about it, that was when he really started to dislike those two. As in, really dislike.

Fuji was creepy. He had the sort of smile on his face which you couldn't tell was real or not or if it vanished the moment your back was turned. And Kikumaru was just too hyperactive and too annoying and much too touchy-feely.

Suzuki was once assigned to work with them for a history project. Oh joy. The only consolation he got out of it was that he was in the group with Kaeru. She looked as amused as Suzuki felt.

They were working in relative silence for all of two seconds. Then Kikumaru asked Kaeru randomly, "Nya, Kaeru-chan! If you had to date one of us in the group, who would it be?"

Suzuki blanched. What kind of question was that to ask to a girl?

Fuji looked up, looking as amused as ever. Suzuki pricked his ears up attentively as Kaeru replied.

"No one."

"No, you have to pick one!" Kikumaru answered gleefully. "And death is not an option!"

Kaeru said nothing. Her silence wasn't uncomfortable; it was more like, "Your question is stupid and has nothing to do with history, so please just shut up because you are looking foolish."

Unfortunately for Kaeru, once Kikumaru got a random idea in his head that he really liked, he refused to let it go. "Nyaaaaa! Come on, Kaeru-chan! Who is it? Who?" He didn't want to date Kaeru himself, he just wanted to know because he was Kikumaru.

Because she was so annoyed, Kaeru broke her trademark silence.

"Fuji," she said.

Kikumaru laughed. Fuji smiled at Suzuki's pain. Suzuki's heart was breaking.

Those three weren't the only ones who were listening to Kaeru. On the adjacent table, Hanae heard the words, noticed Suzuki's reaction and looked down. The history project was boring in comparison to what she had just witnessed.

Later on, she caught up to Suzuki and said, "You should just tell her how much you like her. Be honest."

"Tell who?" Suzuki asked blankly. Then he got it. "Oh." His face went red. "H-How did you know I liked Kaeru-san?"

Hanae said bluntly, "It's kind of transparent. So go. Tell her how you feel."

Suzuki was silent for a moment. Then he said, "I'm transferring to Ginka soon. It doesn't matter." He was too afraid.

Hanae scoffed. "Oh, tosh! You should still confess to her. She'd like that."

Suzuki stuttered, "W-What kind of girl is she like? Does she feel the same way about me?"

"Put it this way," said Hanae. "Gamano's the type who brings her own homemade chocolates to school on Valentines Day-"

Romantic. Suzuki liked those types of girls.

"-just so she can eat them herself," Hanae finished.

But of course, Suzuki didn't hear that. He was going to admit to Kaeru that he liked her. He was going to find out once and for all who she liked, whether it was Fuji or whoever. And he was going to do it right now, before she had club activities to go to.

He found her on the way to the changing rooms. She was humming something softly to herself. Suzuki vaguely recognised the tune from an old folk song his mother used to sing to him. He couldn't remember the words now. But memories of his early childhood washed over him, of songs he loved to sing and the gushing of relatives: "Jin-kun has such a nice voice! He could be a singer when he grows up…"

Suzuki shook himself. "Kaeru-san. There's something I have to say to you."

Kaeru turned around and looked at him with half-closed eyes.

There were a million things he wanted to say and because he wanted to say them all at once, nothing came out the way he wanted it to.

"Ah… That is… Kaeru-san… Um…"

She stood still for a moment as he continued to fumble over his words, and then slowly she began to turn back around so she could keep walking.

He cried, "No, wait!"

He grabbed her shoulder. She twisted her head and her cool eyes bored into his.

He said helplessly, "Kaeru-san, I like you."

Oh great. He had to blurt it out, didn't he? Now how was she going to react?

Kaeru nodded and said, "Okay." Although she motioned slightly to indicate she wanted him to let go of her, she made no real resistance against his hold.

He let go.

"Okay? Is that all you think? You don't like someone else, do you?"

Kaeru solemnly shook her head.

He stepped backwards and faltered. "I'm transferring to a different school soon, so I just wanted to say… goodbye…"

He looked at her to see if she displayed any sentimentality. She didn't.

"Good luck," she said simply.

She turned around and began to walk off. She was crooning part of the lyrics of the tune she had been humming earlier.

"Even though it's scary, go down the path, go down the path."

She started to sing the song from the top again. He was suddenly struck by a sudden fancy and began to sing with her. He didn't know what he was doing. But the words came out of his mouth, a beautiful melody, harmonising with her.

"Go down the path, go down the path…"

She stopped singing suddenly and he was halfway through the second line when he realised this. His voice trailed off into an embarrassed silence.

"You sing well," she said, not sounding too surprised.

He flushed and went very red. He didn't want people to think he was a wuss because he sung, so he seldom sung in front of people any more. Singing made him stand out among other people and he didn't want to do that for fear of teasing. It was so rare to hear compliments instead of jibes for his talents.

He almost didn't hear Kaeru's next words because she was still walking and was by now quite some distance away.

"Do your best."

For the last time before he transferred, Suzuki watched Kaeru play tennis. For the last time, he saw her true smile. She really did stand out when she played tennis. She was so, so cute.

After that Suzuki went home, contentedly. He was singing quietly.

Chapter 8: Doubles

Author's note: -Prepares to duck flying tomatoes- I'm stealing off the Golden Pair a lot here. Nobody will like Kaeru any more now. Oh dear. But it's needed, okay? For scenes later on in the story, a lot later on…

On another note, yay! Kuki! He got, like, no attention in the manga, so I gave him some of his own special place here. (He likes to grab people's arms a lot, doesn't he?) Let's all cheer to the big jerk of Kakkenoki!

Ch. 8 Doubles

There were no short people in Oyuki's team. They were all ninth graders and all of roughly similar heights. It may have been their drab grey uniforms but the girls seemed to have a generic quality, and at first glance one could only differentiate through the hair. But upon closer examination, each girl was an individual. One girl had what looked like rabbit teeth; another had a mole above her right cheek; another wore a single band-aid over her left cheek; and so on and so forth.

The two teams bowed to each other. On his high chair, the umpire announced, "Seigaku versus Oyuki – best of five matches."

Although the faces of the Oyuki girls were even, they did look a little nervous. Kagura noticed it and smirked, just a little. Seigaku's reputation was so mighty that people naturally assumed that the girls' team was as fearsome as the boys', which, of course, was obviously true.

"Doubles two get on the court," the umpire said. Two Oyuki girls immediately did as told while the Seigaku girls looked at each other.

"Doubles two," said Hanae, "that's Gamano and Fuunare."

"Oh, yeah…" Saeko nodded, and together she and Kaeru got into position.

Kaeru signalled to Saeko and confidently nodded. Saeko looked relieved.

"I hope they'll do well," Kyoko muttered, while Mikata jumped to her feet jumped to her feet and bellowed, "Go, Seigaku! Woohoo!"

"Just shows how much we suck," Asuka muttered, "if we have no coach and we have to be our own cheerleading squad." She grinned. "Let's hit it."

"One set match," the umpire announced, holding up an arm. "Gamano and Fuunare versus Oda and Sugima. Oda to serve."

Oda, the girl with blonde hair and the mole, served to Kaeru. Just as Kaeru hit the return, Oda was already charging the net to be beside her partner Sugima.

"Geez Louise!" Asuka whistled. "Looks like Oyuki knows their Doubles tactics!"

As Kaeru hit the ball, her mind went back to the Doubles lesson with the Golden Pair.

"The basic winning strategy of Doubles," Oishi had explained, "is to have both players at the net so they can put away the points."

"So what do you do if the opponents are at the net?" Kaeru had asked.

They told her the answer. And now, with the ball in her reach, Kaeru knew what to do. She hit the ball crosscourt into the alleyway. She didn't hit it too hard in case the ball went out but she did put enough power in it so that Oda's first volley was not a particularly strong one.

"Yours, Saeko!" Kaeru called out.

Saeko instantly saw what Kaeru had done. Having run to the end posts to return Kaeru's shot, Oda had left the middle of the court wide open for attack. Saeko put two hands on her racquet and drove the volley into the open court: a winner.

"That's the ticket!" Kyoko exclaimed, looking very happy. "Get the opponent out of position!"

"As I thought," said Hanae, "Gamano and Fuunare are quite good at this. Fuunare's consistency complements well with Gamano's aggressive net play."

"There is more to it than that, though," Kuroki remarked, "It seems as if Gamano's gotten so much better at Doubles overnight. Remember we made she and Fuunare practise together? And now look. Gamano's not hitting the ball willy-nilly now. She's hitting it into all the strategic places."

"You're right," said Kagura, "How did she improve so quickly?"

She didn't like the fact that Gamano was probably going to be able to beat her soon at the rate she was improving. But of course, she didn't say any of that out loud.

Saeko and Kaeru broke Oda and Sugima on their serve. It didn't help Oda and Sugima any that Saeko's topspin lobs always went in. The shot which had been so devastating when the two had played Singles had now made reappearance in Doubles, with an added sting in the tail: Kaeru could put away the returns with ease. Trying to pass Kaeru after being dealt an offensive lob was like trying to pass a brick wall. Kaeru's reflexes were catlike and impeccable. She was playing very, very well.

"I don't get it," said Kuroki, "I don't get it at all."

"Aww, shut up!" Asuka giggled, "You should be happy!"

When Saeko was about to serve, Kaeru took her aside and whispered to her about something. Saeko's face looked confused, and then a look of understanding dawned on her and she nodded brightly. They returned to the service area.

"What were they talking about…?" Mikata wondered aloud.

They soon found out. Saeko stood at the centre of the line for her serve and Kaeru stood crouched in front of the net – right in the middle of the court.

"The Australian formation!" Kyoko gasped. "Who would have thought it?"

"Uh…" said Asuka, "Isn't that the I-formation?"

There was a silence, then, "Shut up, Toriyama," from Mikata.

"It can be called both," Kyoko said; "I-formation and the Australian formation. The server and his partner stand at the middle of the court and then one person moves left and the other right. It works well in throwing off the opponent."

So it was. As Kyoko was saying this, Saeko and Kaeru were 40-0 up.

Hanae chuckled. "Good use of tennis strategy, huh? Gamano must have read about the Australian formation in a book."

But Kagura frowned.

"That's not good tennis strategy," she said suddenly, pointing.

Just then, Kaeru and Saeko had both gone to the left after using the Australian formation.

"Oops!" Asuka giggled. "Bad communication!"

Mikata rolled her eyes.

Kyoko and Kuroki both looked at each other before turning their gazes back on the court.

Sugima saw the clear opening in Kaeru and Saeko's formation and hit the ball into the open court. Oda didn't even bother covering her because they both knew the point was theirs.

That was where they were wrong.

Kaeru intercepted. She had been light on her feet and then switched direction quite abruptly, gaining the momentum for a sudden leap to the side. In one jump, she covered half the court. Not only did she reach Sugima's ball, she also hit it for a winner, right down the alleyway.

"That little show-off." Kyoko shook her head, smiling. "She had that planned."

Mikata laughed. "Do you know what this reminds me of? It's like watching the Golden Pair play tennis."

And even though Mikata said that, none of the girls guessed the truth behind Kaeru's play. Or maybe Kuroki did, but she didn't say anything. Nobody could even begin to guess how much Kuroki actually knew.

For her part, Kaeru's success at Doubles and the fact that Oishi and Eiji's tactics had been spot-on only made her admire the two even more. She wanted to be just like them. Which was probably not a totally good thing if she thought about, but Kaeru was not really one to think when it came to tennis.

When the score was 3-0, Kagura decided that she needed to go to the toilets and went off. Inexplicably, she felt angry. She didn't know why she felt that way – Kaeru and Saeko were her team mates for goodness's sake – but she didn't really feel like watching them play. Besides, she actually needed to go to the toilets.

Even when she was done, she was still deep in thought. She felt guilty for being jealous but it wasn't really her fault. Kagura was a compulsive competitor and she viewed everyone as a rival. She had no close friends.

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

Kagura blinked. She had bumped into someone – a boy, and a tennis player as well. Immediately, she wondered if she could beat him. The next thought that passed through her mind was that she ought to apologise for bumping into the poor boy. Although, 'poor' wasn't exactly the word she'd use to describe him.

"Kuki!" she said suddenly, because she recognised him. "From Kakkenoki!"

Kuki Kiichi wasn't a particularly good-looking boy. He had hard eyes and a smug sort of face, which was not enhanced by the cross-shaped scar on his cheek. He leered at the shorter girl Kagura, who regarded him with cold eyes and an impassive expression.

"I'm glad you know me," Kuki sneered. Kagura expected him to say something along the lines of "Get out of my way" but to her surprise, his eyes softened. Well, not really softened. Kuki was looking at Kagura and was thinking that half-European sort of girl was his type.

"Hey, what's your name?" he asked. "You're pretty cute."

Kagura was repulsed by this attitude and just like any girl, she derived a secret pleasure from rejecting boys.

"I'm from Seigaku," she said. "I need to be going now."

"Hey, hey!" he chuckled quite meanly took hold of Kagura's arm. "It's all right to fraternise with the enemy once in a while… right?"

He probably would not have thought the same had he saw Tezuka or someone else from the boys' team and Kagura knew it.

She frowned. "Let go!"

"If I win my singles, will you go on a date with me?"

What a jerk, Kagura thought savagely.

"Hey, you heard her; let go."

It was Hayamichi Miyako, the girl who had missed out on the regulars due to injury. In spite of her confidence that she could perfectly take care of herself, Kagura was happy to see her senior.

"Miyako, you're late," Kagura said through gritted teeth. "I didn't think you were coming."

"Sorry, I overslept." Hayamichi scratched her head. She turned to Kuki, a frown replacing her complaisant grin. "Now you let my team mate go."

Kuki, despite being annoyingly persistent, was unwilling to pursue his quarry too far. "Whatever you say," he said, backing away and sneering. "Fat girl."

Hayamichi's eyes hardened and her lips tightened but she said nothing and presently, Kuki walked away. He was chuckling to himself.

"Ugh," Kagura said.

Hayamichi shuffled past her. "Come on." She beckoned, and Kagura followed behind her.

"Deberou?" Hayamichi's voice was low and Kagura could detect a faint note of anger in the older girl's body language. Did Kuki's taunting really provoke her that much? Sure, Hayamichi had a wide frame and it did look as if she was podgy for a tennis player, but she was an amazing mover around the court all the same. She was a very fit athlete. And she ought to know that.

Kagura asked, "Yes, Miyako?"

Hayamichi said, "Kuki's got a sister on the tennis team, doesn't he? Beat her for me, will you?"

Her tone was deceptively calm.

If Kagura had stopped to think about it, it wasn't really fair on Kuki's sister to get thrashed at tennis because her brother was an ass. But Kagura didn't stop to think about it, and it never occurred to her that she wouldn't thrash Kuki's sister, whoever she might be.

Seigaku had already won the first match by the time Kagura and Hayamichi made it back. Kaeru and Saeko had pulled off a 6-2 victory. Saeko had gotten nervous towards the end and had allowed the other team to hold serve twice. But Kaeru had been there to quietly support her, and so together they had won the set. It was a huge boost to their confidence.

They were just stepping off the court as Kagura and Hayamichi returned. Saeko caught one look of Hayamichi and waved energetically. "Oh, Haya-sempai! Have you come to cheer us on?"

"Yeah," Hayamichi nodded. She didn't look the faintest bit frustrated now, which was good. "Sorry I was late. I got pissed off because of a boy."

"In actual fact," Kuroki said, "she probably woke up around ten minutes ago and also forgot to make her bed."

Hayamichi laughed nervously.

Kyoko shook her head and giggled. "Miyako and her lame excuses; you'll never change!"

There was a general feeling of euphoria and hearty cordiality among the Seigaku regulars; among Oyuki junior high regulars not so much.

"Well," said Hanae, "we've won the first match. Let's continue working off our momentum here."

"That was my line," said Kyoko. "I'm captain, remember?"

Tennis seminar of the week: Ah, the Australian formation. I was debating with myself whether I ought to refer to it as the I-formation, which is what it actually is but I decided Australian formation in the end. After all, this is a PoT fanfic, and PoT calls it the Australian formation.

Announcement: The first To Catch a Dream OC popularity poll begins as of today! You will find the poll on my profile and it will be running until the end of this current story arc, at which point the results will be released to all. Please take the time to vote for your two most favourite characters. And thank you for reading so far up 'till now. I love you all.

Chapter 9: The Joker Aces

Author's note: A spot of random, mindless trivia: The creator of Beauty Pop shares the same name as my beloved (cough) OC Kyoko Arai. LOL.

I thought Asuka wasn't getting enough love…

Ch. 9 The Joker Aces

Kakkenoki Junior High was the first school to get past the first round in the girls' division. Since Kakkenoki was the top seed as well as the school expected to win the tournament, there were plenty of people checking out the form of Kakkenoki's regulars. One of the girls who was spy – er, watching – was muttering to herself. She was a slight girl with long, bushy pink hair and very wide, baby eyes. Pale, soft hands clutched a pen tightly, and the girl was scribbling incessantly into a notebook.

Absorbed in her note-taking, the girl almost didn't notice it when Kuki Kiichi shoved her aside as he walked past. The girl blinked, took one look at the Kuki and screamed.

"Eeeek! It's a guy!"

And she ran away, such fear in her eyes.

Kuki just stared, probably thinking, "WTF?"

Seigaku won the Doubles One against Oyuki 7-5. Hanae hit the winning drop volley with the intense precision and concentration she was renowned for, and her partner Kuroki applauded her.

"But," said Kyoko, who was shaking her head, "that was closer than it needed to be."

"I agree," said Hayamichi quietly. "Hana-chan and Kuroki are good at singles but they're not Doubles players."

"The whole team was like that," Mikata sighed. "We just tried to win it on Singles. Maybe that's why we lost against Yamabuki last year."

The eighth graders and Kaeru listened with interest. They all looked up to the seniors and to hear them so readily admit their own weaknesses was slightly unnerving.

Kaeru and Saeko both looked at each other and without even saying anything they both knew that they would be going to work on their synchronisation later.

Kuroki got back to the bench and wiped her face with a towel. "It's Singles Three now," she said when she was done. "Toriyama, good luck."

"As long as you don't jinx me, Voodoo," Asuka answered tartly as she stood up and played with the strings on her racquet. "The cards said I was going to have a good day today so don't ruin it."

Kuroki had a faint smile on her otherwise solemn face as Asuka walked head-high onto the courts.

"This is Toriyama's tennis debut, isn't it?" she said. "Her style is most interesting."

Kagura's head perked up. "Why, what's it like?"

"Just watch," Kuroki replied.

Asuka served an ace.

Mikata opened her eyes and stared in surprise.

"The way she tossed the ball – I was reading that to be a flat serve," Mikata said, amazed. "She changed her racquet face at the last moment hit a Slice serve out wide. If I was returning I would have been aced too."

Asuka stopped, considered her serve and grinned.

"An ace in the hole. How lucky."

She started bouncing the ball for her next serve.

"That's Asuka's style," Kuroki smiled. "Unpredictability – like gambling."

"Wait a minute," Kyoko frowned. "Kuroki, didn't you beat Asuka in the ranking tournament 6-1?"

Kuroki laughed. "Oh, about that…"

Just then, Asuka served a double fault.

"Toriyama serves a lot of those," said Kuroki.

"I see." Hanae stroked her chin. "She plays low-percentage tennis. Not an ounce of consistency."

"That's what makes it so interesting to watch," Kuroki interposed.

On the next rally, Asuka served and came to the net. Her opponent, the girl with the rabbit teeth, immediately hit a lob, right over Asuka's head.

"Oh, no!" Saeko moaned. "It's going in!"

Asuka spun around and dashed towards the baseline, racquet grasped tightly in her hand. She got to the ball just as it bounced but there was no time to run around it into position. Asuka hit the ball between her legs.

The ball hit the net cord. It seemed to waver a little, and then it plopped over.

A drop shot. And the Oyuki girl couldn't reach it in time.

"I call that Lottery Tennis," Hayamichi chuckled.

The game continued. Asuka did indeed play many unforced errors but they were outweighed by the winners she hit. The other girl would hit the ball to her and then Asuka would just whack it down the line straight past her. She seemed to deliberately seek the most difficult shots at each moment in time and hit them merely to prove that she could. Perhaps, Kuroki thought, it was because Asuka was also a golfer and sought in tennis what she sought in golf: the ability to hit the perfect shot, any time, anywhere.

Asuka eventually won 6-3.

"And that's it!" Saeko cheered. "We're through to the next round! Isn't it great, Kaeru-chan?"

There was no answer, which might have been expected although Saeko thought Kaeru liked her enough to at least grunt in reply. Saeko looked slightly disgruntled until she glanced up and realised that Kaeru had said nothing because she hadn't been there at all.

"Oh, Kaeru-chan! She's gone!"

"Off to get a drink without telling us, I suppose," said Hanae. "She never was a communicative person."

"There is someone watching us," said Kuroki suddenly.

Shaken, the girls looked around for the stranger.

"There she is!" Mikata roared, pointing. The pink-haired girl watching from behind the fence squeaked in dismay.

"A guy! Pointing at me! Yeek!"

She looked honestly afraid.

Seigaku's regulars giggled. Mikata stopped pointing at once and sighed. For her, being mistaken for a boy was a regular occurrence. She, however, wasn't used to such an extreme and violent reaction.

"I'm a girl," she muttered.

The other girl blushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry!" she squealed. "I have a mortal fear of men." She slowly drew closer. "I'm Hiramitsu Akari, but you can call me Akari-chan. I'm the team manager of Ramu Academy."

The Seigaku girls looked at each other. It wasn't that they were telepathic but somehow they were all thinking the same thing: Ramu Academy, the second-highest seed, observing our form?

"Whatever," Asuka said finally. "Care for a tuna sandwich?" She was opening a bright red lunchbox which had lain on the bench beside her tennis bag. "I feel like celebrating my victory."

Akari giggled. Incredulously, Kagura asked, "You're eating tuna sandwiches at a time like this?" She stared. Asuka was the weirdest person she had ever known. Even weirder than Kaeru, who bloody hopped everywhere.

"There's always time for tuna sandwiches," Asuka said cheerfully. "I eat it every day. Much tastier than sushi."

"No self-respecting Japanese person would find tuna sandwiches tastier than sushi." Kagura, the half-French one, rolled her eyes. "No self-respecting person full stop."

"I'll have a tuna sandwich," Akari said, laughing.

In fact, all the regulars (except Kagura and the absent Kaeru) also had a sandwich because Asuka had brought along that many and she still had half a dozen or so left. She was a growing girl.

As everyone was eating, Akari cleared her throat and said, "I came to see Seigaku because there is something I have to tell you about your second-round match. I've been investigating some curious incidents that have been taking place within Kakkenoki recently and though I can't prove it yet, I have reason to believe that the girls' team has been resorting to cheating to win their matches."

The girls gasped. Kuroki made no facial reaction and when the dramatic sound effects were over, she asked calmly, "What do you mean by cheating?"

"Well, you see," said Akari, "it's to do with injuries. Last year two of our players had to default due to unexpected injury. I can't prove it but I think Kakkenoki had some insider knowledge in our players' medical records. You see, both of our players suffered from severe allergic reaction. Something could have been put into their drinks; I'm not sure. People can get really bad reactions and no one can know what caused it. And I suppose that could be why Kakkenoki managed to get away with it. I think you guys might also be in danger of sabotage."

"What?" Hayamichi said loudly. "You serious?" But there was a look of conviction on her face, and it was shared by the other Seigaku regulars.

Akari nodded. "Yes, I'm pretty sure. I was just watching a couple of your matches. Toriyama, your shots may look like you're hitting them with blink luck and optimism on your side, but you actually use your skill to shorten the odds in your favour. And your Doubles Two team is the best Seigaku has had in a while."

Once again, the faces of Seigaku regulars registered surprise. Despite looking and acting like a ditz, Akari was certainly not one, and for someone who had especial interest in a particular school, she had a keen eye for observing Seigaku's players. Ramu Academy was fortunate to have such a shrewd information-gatherer as a team manager.

"I believe," said Akari, "Kakkenoki may try to put your key Doubles player out of action, if they try anything at all."

She paused, allowing Seigaku to digest this news.

Kagura pursed her lip. Hearing Akari's blatant accusations against Kakkenoki only served to make her hate the school in question even more.

"I'm going to go look for Kaeru-chan," Saeko said worriedly.

"No need," Kuroki said. "She's back."

And indeed Kaeru was. She was approaching her team mates, her face still slightly damp from when she must have splashed it with water. She had a small smile on her face that said she was feeling fine.

The regulars all breathed a sigh of relief.

Akari smiled. "It looks like I had you worried there for no reason. Better safe than sorry, I guess. Anyway, I have to go now. See you!"

As Akari was skipping off, Asuka called out to Kaeru:

"Oi, you want a tuna sandwich? I got plenty here."

"Okay," said Kaeru.

She took a sandwich. She bit into it.

Five minutes later, she was admitted into hospital.

Tennis seminar of the week: Well, there's not much I can really say about Asuka's Lottery Tennis. I know it's pretty unlikely for anyone to hit the shots Asuka attempts. In fact, the between-the-legs-shot this chapter is the mildest of shots that Asuka can and will hit over the story. But hey, this is the TeniPuri-verse. When it comes to crazy shots, anything can happen.

By the way, some reviewers have commented on Asuka's tennis being like Sengoku's. My answer to that is that it is, to some degree. Asuka is at heart a golfer - and that's what makes the big difference. When I initially created Asuka, I thought to myself, "If a golfer turned tennis player, what sort of shots would that person play, in an exaggerated form?" And Asuka's tennis was what came out. I did not set out to copy Sengoku. Sengoku is a power player and only really uses his "luck" to piss his opponents off. That said, they really are similar.

Asuka's golf is an important part of Asuka and I was hoping to go more into that later. But you know about it now, so it's the same difference, I guess.

Chapter 10: Seigaku VS Kakkenoki

Author's note: I added an extra bit to last chapter's "seminar" to explain the differences between Asuka and Sengoku's style, since people have asked. Yes, I do actually put a lot of thought into my OCs' tennis. Really, I do. (After all, what else can they have going for them? This ain't no soapy Shojo manga.)

Let's just get to the chapter already, shall we?

Ch. 10 Seigaku VS Kakkenoki

No one could believe it as it happened. It was almost immediate. Within seconds, Kaeru's throat began to rash and then she lost her footing and found it hard to breathe. It would take a long while for the regulars to forget the sound of Kaeru's ragged breathing and the sight of her wide, pained eyes. And she uttered not a word, as if she understood the importance of using her throat to breathe rather than to waste it on speech. Silently, she screamed for help…

"You say you're not allergic to tuna." The doctor turned to look at her, a bemused expression on his face. "But, you've suffered a severe allergic reaction after eating a tuna sandwich. Am I right?"

Lying stretched out on the sheets of the bed in the doctor's office, Kaeru feebly inclined her head towards the bespectacled man who had treated her. She wasn't feeling too bad, actually. Medical attention had been prompt. But her throat still felt very, very sore.

The doctor, she noticed, was frowning over her medical record.

"I wonder what was in those sandwiches…" the doctor muttered, apparently unaware that there were others in the room. Like Kaeru and Saeko for instance.

"Um…" said Saeko worriedly, "Um… Will Kaeru-chan be okay?" She stood awkwardly by the door. She was the one who had walked Kaeru to the hospital; the others remained at the courts. There had been nothing else they could do for Kaeru, after Kuroki had performed first aid and had gotten help. After all, they could not afford to default their second round. But Saeko knew she wouldn't play.

Not until she knew what would happen to Kaeru.

Noting the dutifully concerned look on Saeko's face, the doctor tilted his gaze towards the trembling girl and said, "She's in no danger at all. All of the allergic reactions will be gone within a few hours. There may be a chance of recurring symptoms, especially since I am not certain what caused these reactions in the first place." He took off his glasses and began to polish them. "These things happen."

Saeko's lip quivered. She swallowed and said, "But that means… Kaeru-chan will have to pull out of the tournament!"

Kaeru, who had been gazing listlessly up at the ceiling, slowly turned her head to face Saeko.

Their eyes connected.

They were so different. Warm, earnest, green eyes as opposed to sharp eyes, small, grey eyes that seemed out-of-focus but actually noticed everything. But Kaeru's eyes weren't cold.

Go, they seemed to say. The team needs you. They also said, Thank you for caring.

Saeko realised at that moment that Kaeru truly, honestly cared about the team and that she wanted Seigaku to win… desperately.

"I'm leaving now," said Saeko softly. She repeated herself. "I'm leaving now. Please take it easy, sempai." That was the first time Saeko had addressed Kaeru by her proper term, her senior.

At that moment, Kaeru broke eye contact with Saeko and turned to face the wall. She began to stare at it very intently.

"I've an uneasy feeling about this," said Hanae.

"About what?" Mikata questioned. "Gamano?"

Due to Kaeru's sudden ailment, the second-round matches had to be delayed. The umpire would only allow for fifteen minutes and if Saeko didn't get back in time, the matches would begin without her.

At the tennis courts, the girls were sitting in general, uneasy silence, except for Asuka, who was still hyperventilating over what had happened. Kuroki tried in vain to calm her down.

Across from the Seigaku's regulars on the other side of the tennis courts, the Kakkenoki team sat in a huddle around their coach. His features couldn't be made out from a distance, but he had the makings of a pot belly and was of average height. He was telling something to the girls and they were listening intently. Every so often, one of them would glance in Seigaku's way.

Hanae eyed them suspiciously.

"Don't you remember?" she said, "That Akari girl's warning?"

Mikata considered. "You reckon Kakkenoki was behind it? I don't buy it."

"Why not?"

"Look," the masculine girl frowned, "we all ate Asuka's sandwiches, didn't we? And nothing happened to us. Gamano's probably got allergies to tuna, that's all."

Hanae sighed. She looked somewhat annoyed. "My intuition says something's not right and women's intuition never lies!"

"Women's intuition. Right."

"You have it too, Natsumaru," Hanae muttered accusingly and Mikata rolled her eyes.

"Second round Seigaku versus Kakkenoki to begin," the umpire suddenly announced. "Will Doubles 2 please step on the court?"

Hanae glanced around. "Looks like Saeko hasn't arrived yet," she sighed. "Come on." She signalled to Mikata. "Let's do our best."

The Kakkenoki girls turned around to openly peer at the Seigaku girls as Hanae and Mikata made their way to the court. Slowly, two of the Kakkenoki girls got to their feet with a grim sort of look on their faces. The middle-aged coach said, "Good luck, you two," as they rose.

"Yes, Coach Sabe," they answered almost tonelessly, and they began to walk.

Coach Sabe Ryo leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and sighed.

"Anything wrong, coach?" one of the seated girls asked. She was a short girl and wore a thick pair of spectacles over her glassy eyes. Her soft, brown hair was neck length and her fringe was rigidly straight. Her tennis bag was beside her and beside the bag there were two heavy physiology textbooks. Both books were dog-eared and worn and had the look of having been read and re-read many times. Unconsciously, the girl stroked the books with her soft hands as she was gazing up at Sabe.

The coach looked at her and sighed again. "Ah, Kana-chan, those girls out there aren't the same as you are. One must go to many lengths to succeed at tennis and this year, our Doubles 2 team has not put in the hours. We cannot win this way."

That was Coach Sabe's way: always pointing out what needed to be improved. He almost never complimented anyone… except for the precocious genius-child, Kuki Kaname.

There was silence save for the pok-pok of the ball, the chattering of the spectators, the calls of "Yours!" and "Mine!" from the players on the court and Asuka's wailing: "My sandwiches! My sandwiches! Oh dear Lord, what have my babies done?"

A person began to approach the courts from the direction of the hospital. Her head was down, hands shoved in the pockets of her skirt. It was Saeko, who seemed deep in thought. When Kuroki saw Saeko and noticed her current mood, she frowned in worry.

"Is everything all right?" Kuroki asked. "About Gamano, is she-?"

Saeko shook her head. "No, she'll be fine. She told me to come back and help the team out." She took a deep breath. "Kaeru-chan is very caring, isn't she?"

Kuroki thought about Kaeru's constricted throat and wondered how the poor girl had managed to say anything at all. And what did Saeko look so worried about? Was it something the doctor said?

"Kuroki-sempai," Saeko said suddenly, falteringly. "How can I help? Who can I play with now that Kaeru-chan is away?"

She looked so small and frail.

"Ah, my dear," Kuroki adopted a motherly voice, "at least you're not a coward, scared of your own fear. If you were thinking we ninth graders don't get worried, well, we don't, as long as Buchou's not."

It was the second time that day Saeko had heard her senior admit her weakness. First Mikata, now Kuroki. Saeko wouldn't know what she would do if Kaeru said, "I can't do it." Perhaps the ninth graders felt that way about Kyoko. She glanced at the captain then. Kyoko was cheering on Hanae and Mikata. Saeko noticed that whenever the two won an important point, they would glance towards Kyoko as if seeking her approval. And Kyoko would nod and give them the thumbs up.

"Hey, hey!" said Asuka suddenly. "I guess you must admire the captain a lot, huh?" She seemed to have finally snapped out of her melodramatics.

"Yeah, we do," said Hayamichi. "She was a completely different person back in seventh grade but gradually, she changed. We didn't know how much until our second year, when she was only eighth grader among a team of seniors to make the Kanto team. Now we all look up to her."

"Nationals, huh?" said Kagura languidly. Her fist was clenched tightly but she did not show. Inside, she felt a flame burn within her.

She was going to beat Kyoko. And then everyone on the team would look up to her.

"Have you heard? One of the girls on the Seigaku team had to go to hospital!"

"Wow, I wonder what happened?"

"I heard it was an allergic reaction or something."

"Maybe she was trying to get out of a match against Kakkenoki."

The whispers floated around the tennis park to where the girls of Ramu Academy were seated. They were identifiable by the dark green skirts each of them wore, and they were sitting on the grass on their knees as if they were taking part in a tea ceremony. And their eyes were closed, as if in meditation.

But one of the girls twitched when she heard the words. Her eyes were still closed but she was frowning.

"The lengths people go to win," she muttered crossly. "I hate it. I hate it."

Akari opened her eyes and fixed them upon the girl.

"There's nothing we can do now. What's done has been done."

What Ramu had to do now was to concentrate on their own victory, Akari thought with a shake of her head as she leaned back and closed her eyes again. Now she had to concentrate. She had to visualise victory; close her eyes and taste it. That was what she had told the team to do, as Manager. And it would surely work.

Bed was a very boring place, Kaeru decided. There was nothing to do in it except play with the sheets, but even that wasn't very fun considering how stiff and unmalleable they were. Besides, there was only so much of that one could do before admitting defeat. Bed was good for nothing except sleeping, and if you weren't tired, then what? There was nothing, nothing, nothing.

Kaeru just wanted to get out and move. She saw the faces of the regulars in her mind, all carved out, and Saeko's face was the most prominent among them. Everyone was smiling and beckoning to her, but she could not come. She felt so, so frustrated. She wondered if she should tell the doctor that she wanted to go but she still couldn't speak at the moment. At least she wasn't breathing through a tube.

The doctor noted Kaeru's inner frustrations, even though the girl didn't show too much emotion in her face. He felt concerned about her and again wondered how she had become the way she was. He glanced into the brown paper bag Saeko had brought to him, which contained the sandwich Kaeru had bitten into. There was nothing in them except tuna and bread and…

He looked closer. There could be something else. He couldn't be sure. That was why he was doing a proper check for all the chemicals in it.

And from the test, he found the sandwiches had contained Antihistamine. The doctor couldn't believe it. A quick check at Kaeru's medical record on computer showed him that Kaeru did indeed have allergies to Antihistamine. This in itself wasn't too surprising. There were a lot of people who reacted to Antihistamine, violently or otherwise. But that the substance used for curing bee stings of all things to just happen to be inside a tuna sandwich…? That wasn't plausible at all. Someone must have put it there. Whether this was done intentionally or not, no one would ever know.

The doctor figured that he was going to get very interesting reactions when he told Kaeru about what was in the sandwiches. After all, who wouldn't be surprised?

The Doubles 2 teams went to the net to shake hands. The first match between Seigaku and Kakkenoki was over.

"Who won again?" Asuka asked.

Tennis seminar of the day: There is no seminar today because of the lack of tennis. So instead, let's have a bonus omake!

Omake: The striking question was posed to each of the Seigaku regulars: "How much do you like boys?" for the girls and "How much do you like girls?" for the boys.

Kaeru: …

Saeko: -blushes- Well, there is one boy I like…

Kagura: I like them if I can beat them.

Asuka: I like Shonen Ai a bit but the boys in my class are nothing like the heroes in BL novels.

Hayamichi: Depends. I can live without them.

Kuroki: Boys in this generation are always getting into trouble and are impolite to their elders. If only parents brought up their children better!

Mikata: I like girls.

Kyoko: They're okay.

Hanae: I love boys so much! If I was a boy, I'd be gay, that's how much I love boys! I also LOOOOOOVE yaoi!

Ryoma: -stares in shock horror at Hanae- …

Momo: Girls? Love 'em!

Kaidoh: -blushes-

Inui: Of girls I like, fifty percent is for personality, forty percent for intelligence, eight percent for looks. Only two percent of girls I like for all three reasons.

Kawamura: Um… well… I don't know how much, really. I like them if they're nice.

Oishi: I agree with Taka-san on that one.

Eiji: We should form a "I like girls" club. Nya ha!

Fuji: Hmm, that's interesting. Wouldn't you like to know?

Tezuka: You must be punished for disrupting club activities. Twenty laps around the courts.

Chapter 11: Kagura VS Kaname part 1

Author's note: I thought the term 'genius' (or 'tensai' if you're a roomaji freak) was getting a bit generic for PoT, especially in fanfics. So I'm using the term 'Brain child' instead. Not really much different between the two, when you think about it…

Ch. 11 Kagura VS Kaname part 1

Mikata and Hanae had won 6-3, which put both players in a significantly better mood for the day.

"Well done," Kyoko said earnestly to them. "Natsumaru, your power play was particularly good today, especially your serve. Your strength easily surpasses most junior high level boys. Just work on the timing of your volleys. Hana-chan, your footwork and ground strokes are good and I liked how you were able to control the rallies even from the back of the court. You missed a couple of easy overhead smashes, though."

Then she turned to Saeko, who was looking on at Kyoko with an expression very close to pure admiration.

"Fuunare," Kyoko said, smiling. "I was hoping Gamano could have been here. I was going to ask you both to play Doubles 1 for us. I was very impressed with how you played in the first round. As it is, I'm going to ask you to play with Toriyama. Please do your best."

Saeko flushed at the compliment. "Y-Yes, captain!" she squeaked as she eagerly scrambled to her feet. Laughing, Asuka followed suit. The two made their way to the court.

The match began. Saeko was determined to do her part for the team in Kaeru's steed, but it was clear from the very beginning that she and Asuka were outclassed. They hadn't practised together and Saeko found it hard to synchronise with Asuka's liberal playing style. Added to that, the other team was polished and refined. Saeko noticed they even used hand signals to communicate. It was a shame but it seemed that the Doubles 1 match would be one that Seigaku was destined to lose.

The spectators on Seigaku's side watched with unease. When the score was 4-1 Kakkenoki's way, Kagura got to her feet and decided that she was going to warm up for her Singles match. She made her way to an empty tennis court. First, she did some stretches, and then she worked on her footwork. She started slowly and gradually built up to her top speed. Then she practised her swing, the short, abbreviated service return, then the ground shots and finally, the serve.

The serve was such a difficult shot for Kagura. Initially, her serves kept going into the tape and it took about twenty attempts for her to at last find rhythm. Rhythm, Kagura felt, was so crucial to her game.

It started with dancing.

There had been someone in her class in elementary school who had been taking dancing lessons since she was a kid. Kagura did not remember her name. But by and by, Kagura had aspired to beat that person at dancing and so she took dancing lessons too and within two years she could outdance that classmate.

When Kagura was in seventh grade, there was a boy in her class who everyone said was good at tennis. His name, she knew, was Momoshiro, although he asked everyone to call him Momo-chan. Kagura didn't. She aspired to beat him at tennis, so she started learning tennis. That she had joined the regulars was a significant feat in itself, but Kagura wasn't satisfied. A few weeks ago, she had challenged Momoshiro to a game of tennis. He hadn't taken her seriously and yet he was still so obviously the better player. Halfway through the match he had twisted his ankle and that was the end of that. Kagura counted that as a draw.

One day, she would win because she was destined to win.

As long as she tried hard enough.

By the time Kagura got back, Saeko and Asuka had lost 6-2 and the Singles 3 had already begun. Hanae was furious with Kagura for her disappearing act.

"You didn't tell anyone where you were going and you were supposed to play Singles 3! Where were you?"

"Warming up," Kagura muttered, suddenly feeling abashed.

Hanae made a frustrated clicking noise wither tongue. "Kuroki is playing Singles 3 now. You're going to be stuck in Singles 2, a harder match-up. You're playing Kuki Kaname, of all people."

"Really now?" Kagura looked up sharply. She didn't feel ashamed at all now. Funny that.

Hanae nodded and went on speaking. Her voice had gone low. "I've heard stories about Kuki's sister. She's what they call a brain child."

"A brain child?"

"Yeah." Hanae frowned. "She has a memory so powerful she never forgets anything she learns. So she's able to counter any tactic you use against her because she's very clever. That's why she's a brain child."

Kagura didn't reply.

The corners of her lips were turned upwards slightly. A brain child, huh? She shook her head and went on walking.

Kagura didn't pay much attention to Kuroki's match. (Afterwards, she heard that Kuroki had lost 6-4.) She went back to that empty tennis court and danced for all she was worth. She loved the solitude of being alone.

Hayamichi found her. Kagura was conscious standing behind her but she didn't know who it was until she spoke. Even then, Kagura didn't turn around.

"Your match is going to start soon," Hayamichi said. The smile was evident in her voice. "Good luck."

Kagura stopped. The ball bounced past her and she remained still.

"I don't need luck to win," she said, brusquely.

Hayamichi wasn't sure whether this was arrogance… or something else. But her mouth went dry and she didn't dare ask.

"Match between Seigaku's Deberou and Kakkenoki's Kuki to begin. Kuki to serve."

The two rivals didn't heed each other at all. Fleetingly, they passed by one another, and neither girl turned her head to look at or even acknowledge the other. Anyone might have thought the match was taking place at a deeply impersonal level. There was a striking lack of tension, as if the two players were only going through the motions. Kagura's face was expressionless and Kaname's mirrored hers. Kaname had taken off her glasses and without them, her eyes appeared even blanker than they normally did.

Only twice did Kaname bounce the ball before she tossed it for her serve. Kagura sprang lightly upon her toes as Kaname blasted her serve down the centre of the court. It was so much faster than what one ought to expect from a junior high student, a chilling foreshadow of what Kagura was to expect from the match. She was taken by surprise and had her reflexes not been honed through constant use of the Split Step, Kagura might have been aced. But she wasn't. She kept her backswing short and performed a full follow-through as she stepped forward and began to dance.

"Yes!" Saeko cheered. "It's Kagura-chan's Ballet Tennis!"

Hayamichi glanced towards the Kakkenoki team. They were staring, open-mouthed, at Kagura. For her part, Kagura seemed unperturbed. Hayamichi wondered if she even noticed that people were in awe of her dancing.

"But that's Kagura-chan, you know," Saeko remarked, apparently having read Hayamichi's thoughts. "She's so focused on what she wants to get she doesn't realise exactly how talented she is."

"It's 'cos she's half-French!" Asuka scoffed.

What a ridiculous thing to say, Kyoko thought. "Well, you may be right," she chuckled. "The French have always been noticed known for their tennis, the Japanese not so much."

Asuka's scowl deepened at that.

"Now that you mention it," said Hanae suddenly, looking at Kyoko, "Deberou's tennis is very French-like, isn't it?"

"What do you mean by French-like?" asked Saeko, evidently confused.

Hanae explained, "The French Open is played on the clay court." She paused. "It may sound weird, but just a change of surface transforms tennis into a whole different ball game."

"How so?" Saeko pressed her.

Mikata answered. "The ball bounces higher and slower, so if you're a player who hits a lot of topspin, you can keep the ball in play easier. As a result, the rallies get longer and it's the player with the most endurance who wins. 'Course, not all French play that kind of tennis."

Saeko glanced at Kagura. The seniors were right: Kagura was merely hitting top spin as if she just wanted to get the ball over the net and be done with it. Mostly she was focused on her footwork – getting to the ball –from the back of the court. It was so far removed from Kaeru's style, Saeko reflected, and yet, it had emerged superior in a showdown. But it was such a boring style when she thought about it. No coming to the net at all.

No sooner had Saeko thought of this when she observed Kagura approaching the net. Her movements were imperceptible but she was getting closer, steadily and rhythmically. She never took any big steps forward but she took no steps at all backwards. Before Kaname must have known it, Kagura was at the net before her. Saeko began to bite her lip.

When she was only a metre or so away from the net, Kagura began to shuffle a bit from side to side as if daring the other girl to hit the passing shot. Kaname opted instead for a lob. It was a little low but it was aimed at the backhand corner. Kagura sprang into the air and intercepted it before it could get there.

The ball impacted harshly into the racquet's strings. Kagura pulled a face as she absorbed the blow. Her wrist began to shake. Backhand volleys sure were difficult. She wasn't even sure she could pull off this one.

She continued to wince and the ball began to push her racquet backwards. Her mind working quickly, she brought her left hand up to steady her right wrist. Then she pushed all of her weight against the racquet and the ball crashed down onto the other end of the court. It was too quick for Kaname to counter.

"Not bad!" Hanae grinned. "Nice improvisation."

"I don't get it!" exclaimed a wide-eyed Saeko. "Why did Kagura-chan come to the net like that? Isn't that too risky for a clay-courter?"

"But these are hard courts," Hayamichi pointed out. "Deberou's changing up her play so her opponent can't read her."

"I certainly can't read her," Saeko muttered. Kagura's Ballet Tennis was difficult enough to deal with in itself. Saeko couldn't see how Kaname could win.

A quick glance at Kaname told her the other girl didn't think the same. Although Kagura had taken the first game, Kaname looked neither elated nor disappointed. There was a quiet air of unspoken confidence radiating around her, as if she had measured Kagura and not found her up to standard.

Kagura pursed her lips. Her body language was tense; she was afraid to let her guard down despite the break in her favour. She felt a sudden, inexplicable dread draw over her. Was it possible that over the course of one game, Kuki Kaname, the so-called brain child of Kakkenoki, learnt how to read Kagura's tennis?

Tennis seminar of the week: PoT never really went much into surface styles, instead choosing to have most of the matches take place on the same hard court. I think this is a bit disappointing, as a good tennis player must know how to play on every surface. Obviously Ryoma does. :P

Changing something as simple closing a roof, therefore turning an outdoor match into an indoor match, can influence the outcome. In an outdoor game, the bounce is higher and there is wind and all that to deal with. Some players cope with it better. Some like the lower bounce and stability of an indoor game. In the Australian Open this year, Serena Williams was trailing a set to love against Svetlana Kuznetsova when the heat became too much and the roof was closed mid-match. The two players resumed their battle and Serena ended up winning the match. See how important surface is to the end result?

Chapter 12: Kagura VS Kaname part 2

Author's note: I don't do ballet. (Oh God, of course not! Gah!) So everything about ballet I mentioned in this chapter I got from Wikipedia. XDDDDD

Just to make things easier for y'all, I'm putting a character profile each chapter so that it gets easier to know OCs. I'll start with the captain and work downwards.

Arai Kyoko

Blood type: A

Description: She's the captain of the girls' tennis team. She's also Arai's older sister and her level of skill has been compared to that of Fuji's. Her style of tennis is unknown at this point. Kyoko is generally a very determined person who believes in sportsmanship; however she is prone to mood swings and has self-esteem issues. Apparently, she likes Tezuka but no one knows if he likes her back or not. (I read somewhere that Tezuka likes determined girls but I don't think he'd appreciate her mood swings.) The ninth graders on the team all look up to Kyoko.

Odd spot: Kyoko likes goldfish. She has a tank full of them at home and has named them after all her favourite female tennis players.

Ch. 12 Kagura VS Kaname part 2

During Kagura's Singles match, no one had really paid any attention to Kuroki. Kuroki had departed, plain and simple. She intended to return so that she could watch the remainder of the Singles 2 but first she had business to attend to.

When Kuroki had initially entered the tennis park, the first thing she had looked for was a public telephone booth so she could use it when she planned to ring home before lunch. She had found one on the street just outside the gates and as she walked towards it, she double-checked her purse to see if she had enough change. She did.

The phone rang next to her ear several times before the person on the other end picked it up. It was a woman. "Shizuka, is that you?"

"Mother?" Subconsciously, Kuroki gripped the phone tighter. "Is everything all right? The kids aren't aggravating you too much?"

"No, no, of course not. You needn't worry so much, Shizuka. You've always been such a worrier."

Kuroki shook her head, not that her mother could hear it. "Really? That's fine. I was just checking up. Look, I don't have enough money to continue this conversation," she said. "I'm hanging up."

She clicked the phone back into its place.

Kuroki was sighing as she was walking back to the courts. Her mother was right. She did worry too much.

Someone bumped into her. "Oh, sorry!" the person said in a familiar sounding voice. Before Kuroki could look up properly, the person had run on ahead. All Kuroki caught sight of was a flash of a dark green skirt…

"Oh!" Kuroki exclaimed suddenly. The girl had dropped something, but she was already nowhere in sight. Gingerly, Kuroki knelt down on the footpath and picked the fallen object up.

It was a container full of Antihistamine.

Antihistamine? But the barbs had been taken off all the needles. What use was that to anyone who had been stung by a bee? What a thing to carry around!

The matter was still preying upon Kuroki's mind when she got back to the courts. It was when she caught sight of the anxious faces from Seigaku's side watching Kagura's match that Kuroki knew something unforeseen had happened.

"Kagura-chan's losing," Saeko whispered in a trembling voice.

Kuroki glanced at the scoreboard: 3-1, Kakkenoki's way.

"Ah," was all Kuroki said.

What had happened? Kaname had stepped on the pedal, that's what. She had won three consecutive games and was looking straight at another break point in her favour. She must have figured out that the best way to counter Kagura's tennis was not to try out-manoeuvring her or figuring out where she was moving but to simply out power her. That was how Natsumaru had beaten her so easily in the ranking tournament. Because tennis, when it really came down to it, was a game of athleticism. Tactics were only executable if one had the strength to carry it out.

There was no doubt about it: Kaname had pounced and Kagura, the prey, was now trapped within the jaws of defeat…

Kakkenoki's team coach Sabe Ryo was in a good mood. He was laughing.

"That's Kana-chan! She had me worried there for a minute but it looks like our prodigy's playing her normal tennis at last. What a wicked forehand that shot was!"

The other Kakkenoki regulars watched in silence. They didn't cheer even when Kaname hit a particularly impressive winner. Coach Sabe was alone in his role of support. He didn't notice.

From behind a thick tree, Hiramitsu Akari scrutinised the Kakkenoki coach. She was rather frightened of middle-aged men like Sabe but she was keen on observing him anyway. A little character flaw wouldn't stop her from doing her duty. If Sabe was up to something shady, it was up to her, team manager of Ramu to do something about it. She figured that Kakkenoki would get through the round, especially with the extra "help" the team had received. Then Ramu and Kakkenoki would have that rematch Akari longed for and this time, Ramu would come out on top.

Seigaku wasn't in the picture at all.

Miracles happened.

After Kaname had won three consecutive games, Kagura had to stop and ask herself: "What was happening here?" She had let herself become just a little overconfident, had dropped her guard. It was true that Kaname was hitting the ball harder now but she was no boy and Kagura was certain that she could match her. She would have to use that move. The mere thought of it made Kagura wince. It was painful for her feet and she could only use the technique for short sequences of time, but it was now or never.

Saeko gasped. "What is Kagura-chan doing?"

Kagura did not perform her normal Ballet Tennis on the tips of her toes. She was never flat-footed but she was just as aware as anyone that no human's foot was meant to be stood upon by the toes. And to play tennis like that was just plain risky. But now, Kagura stood poised on the very tips. She stood up tall, straight, both legs touching each other. Her arms were arched above her head.

"What an odd stance," Hanae remarked.

"Ah," said Kuroki. "That must be the En Pointe stance!"

"The En Pointe stance?" Mikata repeated, sounding confused.

"Watch," was all Kuroki said.

Kaname was driving the ball which was on her side of the court. The ball flew over the net and landed right by Kagura's feet. Kagura hit the ball back. Kaname ran and returned it, and again, the ball landed by Kagura's feet. Again, Kagura returned it. However Kaname hit it, the ball seemed to land at exactly the same spot: Easily within Kagura's reach. She did not even have to move.

"T-That's impossible!" Mikata insisted. She could not believe her own eyes. "By using that stance, is she somehow controlling how that other girl hits it?"

"The En Pointe stance is a formidable technique," said Kuroki. "It's the ultimate defensive tactic and it takes a great amount of physical strength to maintain. I would hazard a guess to say that Deberou is physically stronger than even you, Natsumaru."

Mikata continued to shake her head. Why then, had she won so easily against Kagura? Was it because she had not dared to use the En Pointe stance against her? Kuroki must have known for a long time Kagura's true strength.

"That move," said Kyoko, "is similar to Tezuka Zone, I think." She could see some key differences though: When Tezuka used Tezuka Zone, he could hit shots of approximately the same power as usual, but Kagura's power was halved because her legs were in such an awkward position. Kagura could not maintain her stance for an entire match, whereas Tezuka could. Once Kagura overcame her physical weaknesses, her En Pointe stance could become a true force to be reckoned with. Kyoko thought she had better watch out.

Meanwhile, Kagura was feeling gleeful at her successful comeback into the match.

"Allez!" she roared when she had finally levelled the score. After that, she was unable to stop herself poking her tongue out at Kaname. Kaname didn't seem to react, although when Kagura turned back to her team expecting to her them cheer for her, she heard nothing. She had the distinct feeling that the captain disapproved.

Oh well. What did she know anyway? Kaname was the sister of that idiot boy Kuki. This match was personal, whether Kaname acknowledged it or not.

Kagura frowned. Kaname was so… unemotional. It was frustrating. She wanted to see that calm expression tear itself up with anger, wanted to stir her up. But no matter how well Kagura played, Kaname refused to be drawn in.

At that moment, Kagura did the worst thing she could ever do in a match. She forgot all about the tenacity which Kaname had exhibited to stay in the match and truly began to think that she was superior to the other girl. She was better, yes. And so she called out to her.

"They call you a brain child, huh? Not so smart as you think you are, are you? Ha!" Kagura snorted.

Kaname flinched at that. The whole tone of the match seemed to change just then into a confrontation. Seeing her opening, Kagura launched a second, vicious attack.

"I know your brother," Kagura found herself saying tartly. "He's an asshole but at least he can actually play tennis!"

"Stop it!" a stern voice commanded her. Was it from her head? "Stop it! You're making a fool of yourself!"

Kagura blinked. The captain Kyoko was standing in front of her and had prised the racquet from Kagura's grip before Kagura could damage it any further. From what Kagura could see of her captain's expression, she was absolutely furious.

"Get a hold of yourself, Deberou!" Kyoko said sharply. (Gosh, Kagura had never seen her so mad!) "You're wearing that uniform to represent Seigaku! People are watching you. They will think everyone from Seigaku throws childish insults around and provokes everybody. Is that how you want your school to be thought of, Deberou?"

I'm not playing for Seigaku; I'm playing for me! Kagura thought but she certainly wasn't going to say so to Kyoko's face. Something told her she had screwed up majorly this time.

The other Seigaku regulars were watching from a distance. Even though Kyoko's anger wasn't directed at them, they still made themselves as small as they could and shrank against the fence.

"Talk about mood swings," Asuka muttered as she eyed Kyoko apprehensively.

"I knew watching Tezuka enough would make you as intimidating as him," Hanae remarked. "Kyoko-san shoulda known."

The others pulled faces that indicated that they thought right now wasn't the appropriate time for such comments.

"Is everything all right?" the umpire asked gingerly as the Kakkenoki spectators became completely and utterly silent. All eyes were fixed on Kyoko.

The captain of Seigaku's girls' team slowly turned her head to the umpire. She was still grasping Kagura's racquet tightly in her hands. Her face had become chillingly calm as her anger was replaced with resolve.

"Sir, we will have to default."

One could hear a pin drop fall in the deafening silence which ensued.

Tennis seminar of the week: I'm choosing to ignore that pretty much all the boys in PoT get away provoking their rivals before a match. Yes, Ryoma, I'm looking at you. But hey, women's tennis is a completely different ball game.

By the way, 'Allez' is French for 'Come on!111!1' Oh, and the En Pointe stance cannot work in real life. Just warning you. Don't try it.

Chapter 13: Kyoko's decision

Author's note: I was lying when I said this story wasn't romantic. There is another definition to the word 'romantic' – that is, 'idealistic' and the way I depict sport, it's very romantic in that sense. But hey, that's how fiction is.

I swear I'm going through this sudden philosophical change in my brain. This story has suffered as a result. T.T

Character profile of the day:

Hanae Koyumi

Blood type: AB

Description: She's the co-captain of the girls' tennis team. She's cool, rational and in-control. Her Singles game reflects her personality and she does not easily choke important points. However she is so accustomed to the control of the Singles game that she is not as good at Doubles. Referred to as Hana-chan or Hana-san by the other members of the team. The only thing Hanae loves as much as tennis is boys and she can only obsess over one thing at a time. Thus the terms "Tennis Mode" and "Boy Mode" have been coined for her, and her personality contrasts drastically between the two modes.

Odd spot: Hanae's favourite band is V6. She has all of their songs and hangs their posters up in her bedroom. The only reason why she bought the first season of the anime Inuyasha was because of its opening theme, which was sung by V6.

Ch. 13 Kyoko's Decision

"Default the match?" Kagura gasped after a long moment. She was the first on the court to speak.

Then the buzzing began. The spectators were talking among themselves: "What's going on here? Why would Seigaku forfeit?" Kyoko silenced it all.

"Deberou, before you can play tennis as part of a team, you must learn sportsmanship."

"B-But why default?" Kagura's eyes were wide as saucers and the words were pouring out of her mouth. "If we default this match, Seigaku will lose the round!"

For a moment, a look of hesitation crossed Kyoko's face. Then she shook her head roughly. "No. You will apologise to Kuki-san and to the umpire and to Kakkenoki for your behaviour. You will sit out. There are things more important than beating other people, you must realise that."

Without saying anything else to Kagura, Kyoko turned and walked off. She was talking to the umpire and discussing her decision with him. The thing was done. Everything was over. Kagura did not get her chance to fight.

After staring blankly at Kyoko's back for a second or two, Kagura slowly collapsed onto her knees and covered her face with her hands. Her muffled sobs were clearly heard by all.

"It didn't have to end this way…" Saeko said in a low voice. She looked stunned.

Mikata shrugged. "Kyoko-buchou's too pigheaded to change her mind when it comes to these things." Inwardly, she was sighing because she was aware that Seigaku had lost the round. And all because of Kyoko's principles.

"It will be a hard lesson for Deberou to learn," Kuroki said quietly, "but learn it she must."

As Kagura's sobs continued to pervade the air, Hayamichi went to the girl and wrapped her arms around her. She said softly, "There, there," as she squeezed her gently. Kagura was not as strong as she seemed, really. She was so vulnerable. It was cruel, in a way, how Kyoko had turned her back on her. Yet she had known it had to be done for Kagura's own good. Knowing this didn't stop Hayamichi reaching out for her, holding her, and wiping the tears from her tear-stricken face. She quite forgot that only moments before, Kagura had been sneering in poorly-concealed contempt. She still 'had a ways to go.'

"It's all right," Hayamichi heard herself say. "I know I asked you to beat Kuki Kaname for me but it's all right…"

Kagura sniffed once and for a moment, Hayamichi thought Kagura was going to shove her away so she could bury her head in her hands once again. Kagura instead sat up, rubbed her eyes and hiccupped.

"Are you okay?" Kaname asked flatly. She didn't understand why Kagura was being so emotional. Perhaps it was a French thing.

"I-I'm sorry," said Kagura slowly. "I lost all control of my emotions. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Kaname uttered with a slight bow. "Tennis is not all about winning."

"No… it isn't…" Kagura murmured.

Kyoko turned and glanced sideways at her, a hint of a smile breaching the sternness of her face.

The umpire cleared his throat and announced, "Match to Kakkenoki through default – three games all."

The world wasn't fair, Kagura thought as she got to her feet. But she smiled and shook Kaname's hand and as she did, she resolved to work harder in the future. She could see all the flaws in her game now. And more importantly than that, Kagura realised exactly why Kyoko was admired by the seniors. Kyoko had high ideals and lived up to them. For her, tennis was a gentleman's sport, where sportsmanship mattered more than athleticism and certainly more than the tricks.

Yes… Tennis was a gentleman's sport.

And maybe that was what tennis really was, in the beginning and in the end.

It was because everyone had been focused on Kagura's outburst of emotion, Kyoko thought as she walked around the tennis park on her own, that nobody saw how much she was hurting.

Seigaku had lost the district regionals. Well, only the girls' team, Kyoko mused. The boys' team was probably at that very moment, facing off in the finals. They would probably breeze through that and people would say, "Well, that was only what was expected of Seigaku…!"

Kyoko felt sick of pursuing a shadow, trying to catch a dream. And the ironic part of it was that Seigaku could have forced a Singles 1 match, could have won…

… had Kyoko not stopped it all single-handedly. She would have done it all over again, too. Who else would have defaulted such a crucial match for the sake of pride? Call it anything, but it was certainly pride and sheer pig-headedness which had caused Kyoko to do what she had. What would Tezuka say if he knew? He'd give her that impassive "You-could-have-done-better" look and go off to do his own thing. Like he always did. What did Kyoko even hope to get from Tezuka?

"You did well"? Like he'd ever say that!

"Kyoko?"

Kyoko looked up. Someone was talking to her.

Coach Ryuzaki of Seishun academy had a somewhat maternal expression on her face as she looked down at Kyoko.

"Everything all right, Kyoko? How's the team going? I apologise for not being able to check up on you lot sooner."

Kyoko said slowly, "We're out of the district regionals. Pathetic, isn't it?" Her heart felt very heavy.

"Kyoko, you don't need to constantly compare yourself to the boys." Coach Ryuzaki shook her head gently. "As long as you do your best, all right?"

The coach, Kyoko thought, was infinitely gentler with her than with the boys. With the boys, Ryuzaki would be crisper, act a lot younger. Perhaps, in a way, she thought of them as her children.

"Coach, I'll tell you what happened." Kyoko took a deep breath and then poured out everything. The coach listened with an attentive ear and did not interrupt. As Kyoko talked, she felt a burden being unloaded from her.

When the story was done, the coach was silent for a moment, and then she said:

"You know, Kyoko, I think you're not sure what you really want. You need to hold firm to your decisions and believe in what you're doing. You did the right thing, defaulting that match."

Kyoko blinked. "Y-You think so?"

Ryuzaki laughed. "Of course I do. I wish my boys had the same sense of sportsmanship as you show. But they have that belief in their ability to win, you know. It's very overriding. That's why Seigaku wins."

"Belief…" Kyoko repeated. She smiled. "Thank you, Ryuzaki-sensei."

"I knew Kakkenoki would win. I knew you could do it, Kana-chan!" Coach Sabe Ryo was ecstatic.

Kaname had come back among the throngs of the Kakkenoki team but she did not sit near to them. The girls sat together and Kaname was not among them. Kaname was alone. She was neither happy nor sad.

Ramu Academy team manager Hiramitsu Akari could not help but feel smug. "It looks like it's Ramu versus Kakkenoki again." This time, she thought, Ramu would definitely come out on time. She would show that damned coach of Kakkenoki.

Akari, observant though she was, was at that moment too wrapped up in her own feelings to notice her team mates exchanging glances. Finally, one of the girls spoke up.

"No, we're not in the finals."

Akari snapped her gaze up. "Of course we are!" she snapped. "We won the second round, didn't we?"

"No," the girl said again. She glanced at the other team members for support before turning back to Akari. "Hiramitsu-san, we saw what that captain of Seigaku did when one of her team members carried on. So we decided that we would forfeit our right to the finals because of what you did."

"What do you mean?" Akari demanded.

"You poisoned that girl from Seigaku with Antihistamine. You did it. Your mother's a doctor; you knew all about allergic reactions. You knew she could have died."

Akari opened her mouth, taken aback. She couldn't deny anything. She saw the tournament officials approaching her and she knew the gig was up.

Kaeru returned soon after that. Her throat felt a little tender and the doctor had made her promise to come back immediately if her symptoms resurfaced, but otherwise she was fine.

When Kaeru heard that her term had lost the second round, she didn't seem to mind. She was just happy to be there, at the tennis courts, and there was always the Metropolitan Tournament, which was just around the corner.

They sat down to have lunch – a barbecue that the tournament organisers had generously provided. There was also a selection of sandwiches for the vegetarian.

"Ugh!" said Asuka when she saw them. "I'm officially off sandwiches. I don't want mygrave to be marked: 'Death by sandwiches'!"

Hanae, who was on a diet and did not mind sandwiches, took one and said, "That reminds me. Have you heard Ramu Academy is out of the finals?"

"Why?" asked Mikata.

"Because Hiramitsu Akari was the one who put the Antihistamine in Toriyama's sandwiches!" Hanae explained.

"Really?" said Saeko, shocked.

"Ah, I get it now," said Kuroki. It all made sense. That Antihistamine the girl in the green skirt had dropped – the green skirt was the uniform of Ramu Academy. As for the barbless needles, one couldn't inject Antihistamine into a sandwich, so Akari must have gotten rid of the barbs. When Asuka had passed around her box of sandwiches, Akari must have unscrewed the end of the barbless needles and tipped the contents on each sandwich; she was reckoning on Asuka's generous personality so that the red-haired girl would share the sandwiches to Kaeru. It was so clever! Had not the Ramu team confessed to what had happened, Akari would clean have gotten away with it.

Kuroki said as much to Hanae. The co-captain nodded. "Yeah. She must have been so convinced Kakkenoki was cheating that she figured that it was all right if she returned the favour."

Coach Sabe, who was passing by, stopped and turned at to the Seigaku team. He had heard what Hanae had said.

"That girl was so stupid," he said, somewhat vehemently. "She didn't know that there were other ways to win besides through cheating." His voice went quiet. "She's a stalker. One time, I walked into my bathroom and she was in there, looking through my things. I don't know how she got my address, but that crazy girl was in there. I tried to talk to her parents but I couldn't track them down. She's just… around." He didn't mention that during the bathroom episode, he had entered the room with the intention of having a bath, thus he had had no clothes on at the time. This might have explained the extreme phobia Akari had for men forever afterwards.

The girls looked at each other with surprise. They hadn't known Akari was so… mentally unstable.

"What's going to happen now?" Kyoko asked. "If Ramu has been disqualified, I mean."

"Well," said the coach, "they're having a runner-up tournament next Sunday. I suppose you girls would want to come because if you win it, you'll be seeded for the Metropolitans. I'll see you there." And with that, he left.

That was the beauty of tennis, Kaeru thought, smiling. There always was a second chance. You could still come back from match point down. Right now, there was a chance to come runner-up for the tournament. With tennis, there was always the opportunity to prove the integrity of oneself.

Kaeru loved tennis so much.

Omake: The Seigaku girls' team had nothing to do after lunch other than go home so what did they do? They went to watch the boys play tennis, of course! The following is a transcript of the official commentary of the Seigaku versus Fudomine matches:

Hanae: It's the Doubles 2 match.

Kyoko: Featuring Seigaku's resident genius Fuji Syusuke.

Mikata: I reckon I've got more testosterone than Fuji.

Kyoko: Natsumaru, you've got more testosterone than all the boys in the team combined!

Hayamichi: I dunno. Look at Kawamura there.

Kawamura: BURNING!

Mikata: COOLING!

Asuka: Natsumaru, you need to be shot.

Kyoko: Oh no, Kawamura can't keep playing. Seigaku's defaulting!

Hayamichi: Will Seigaku win?

Kaeru: Yes.

Kagura: It's Doubles 1. The Golden Pair's playing.

Saeko: Wow, they are good!

Kuroki: Toriyama, what are you doing?

Asuka: I'm counting the number of times Eiji and Oishi needlessly touch each other. I'm on eighteen right now.

Hanae: Omigosh! Asuka-chan, you love yaoi too? -fangirl squeal-

Mikata: Look what you've done, Toriyama. You've put Hana-chan in boy mode.

Kaeru: It's raining.

Hanae: Heeeeey, Saeko-chan! You said there was a boy you liked, right…?

Saeko: D-Did I?

Kuroki: Kaidoh's match begins.

Saeko: Kaidoh-kun? -blushes-

-Long silence-

Asuka: I reaaaaaally admire your taste in men.

Kagura: I could beat Kaidoh.

Mikata: Sure you can.

Hayamichi: Wow, look at that Boomerang Snake shot!

Asuka: My shots are better.

Kuroki: The girls' team seems to suffer from some sort of jealousy complex, I fear.

Kyoko: -nervous laugh-

Hanae: It is now Echizen's singles match.

Hayamichi: Ah, Hana-chan, you're back in tennis mode. That's good. Your boy mode scares me a little.

Saeko: Wow, Echizen-kun's amazing!

Mikata: Damn, that kid's got a good serve.

Asuka: You still have a ways to go. -winkwink-

Kaeru: Shut up.

-Everyone laughs-

Kagura: Well done, Kaeru! You tell her.

Kyoko: What's this? Echizen has injured himself!

Kuroki: Someone must help him immediately.

Mikata: You really are an old lady, Kuroki.

Asuka: She's Oishi's mother.

Kagura: Hey, isn't this supposed to be serious?

Hanae: Echizen will come back. I guarantee it.

Kyoko: He's getting back on the court.

Hayamichi: He has to win in ten minutes. How can anyone do that?

Asuka: I could do it!

-silence-

Mikata: You know who Toriyama reminds me of?

Kuroki: Who?

Mikata: Asuka, from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Kyoko: Oh my gosh! She has the same name too! Asuka-chan, you should get together with that Shinji fellow from Fudomine.

Asuka: Anta baka! Shinji's muttering annoys me.

Kagura: Changing the subject… It looks like Echizen's winning, even though he's playing with one eye!

Saeko: Wow!

Hanae: He's good.

Hayamichi: And that's it. Echizen's won. Seigaku has won!

-Everyone cheers-

Kaeru: Let's do our best.

END TRANSCRIPT.

Announcement: Next chapter, I shall release the results of the popularity poll. This is your last chance to vote, people, if you haven't done so already. The poll is on my profile.

Chapter 14: Love means no score!

Author's note: The Shojo-ness of this chapter annoys me. You might notice the social commentary disguised as tennis in this chapter. XP.

Kaeru's extremely OOC in this chapter, by the way. And Fuji too. Let us not forget Fuji. Be aware, though, that I watched the dubbed anime and Fuji's voice acted by a dude there, so…I may have overcompensated by making him too feminine or something. Besides, PoT never dealt with the issues I'm dealing with here so that might make it harder to visualise Fuji in this situation.

Character profile of the day:

Kuroki Shizuka

Blood type: A

Description: Kuroki's a mysterious character. She seems to possess an extraordinary amount of wisdom for someone of her age and nobody knows much about her personal life. Asuka calls her "Voodoo" and Mikata calls her "An old lady". The running joke within the girls' team is that Kuroki is Oishi's mother because she constantly worries about the team. Kuroki plays a very classical kind of tennis and most of her shots are obsolete in the modern game. However, she seems to have the skill to pull it off because she has been a regular since eighth grade.

Odd spot: Kuroki's hobby is knitting. She knits most of her own clothing. Kuroki also listens to classical music and her favourite song is Pachelbel's canon. She also loves anything written by Bach.

Ch. 14 Love means no score!

Saeko had never noticed so many boys. They were all over the school hanging out in droves. Most of them were at the tennis courts: not inside but outside, scrutinising. They were still around watching the girls' team during morning practice. This irked Saeko, and she wasn't the only one who was annoyed.

"Gosh, the stupid perverts," Asuka grumbled. She was doing running exercises and was conscious of how her skirt involuntarily lifted when the wind blew. Sport skirts were already short enough to begin with.

Kyoko sighed. "They're not here to observe our form, that's for sure. They're here to collect data about the boys' team. Little wonder after Echizen's performance the other day."

Seigaku's freshman regular Echizen Ryoma had reputedly come back to win his singles after suffering an injury in his eye. And in only ten minutes too.

Saeko was personally inspired by the male regulars. They were all amazing. She wished she could hit the Twist Serve like Ryoma, the Triple Counters like Fuji, the Snake Shot like Kaidoh, the Dunk Smash like Momoshiro and many more. She practised with extra zeal so her tennis could be just as outstanding. Of course, she still had a long way to go.

The odd thing was that apparently the other regulars weren't as inspired as her, it seemed. Since the dramatic conclusion of the district regionals, Hayamichi, Hanae and Kagura had failed to turn up to practice. Hayamichi was still injured and Kagura had to rest her feet for days because she used the En Pointe stance. But Hanae? Certainly, she could come. Nothing physical was holding her back. When Saeko posed the question to the captain, she only laughed and said, "Well, if she had come, she would have been distracted anyway with all these boys ogling at us." It seemed as if the captain of the tennis team held some good-natured contempt for Hanae Koyumi.

That day after practice, Saeko asked Kaeru if she would like to go shopping with her. Saeko loved shopping, especially clothes-shopping. Maybe Kaeru was the same.

It turned out she wasn't.

"Kaeru-chan, do you think this dress suits me?" Saeko would ask, and Kaeru would shrug as if she honestly didn't know how to tell if someone was beautiful or not. She would stare at the ceiling or at the floor instead of at the clothes and she didn't try a single garment on.

Exasperated and shaken with how she couldn't understand her friend, Saeko told Kaeru to go where she wanted. Kaeru immediately headed for the video arcade across the road with its brightly coloured neon sign. Instantly, the cacophony of numerous arcade games running simultaneously filled Saeko's ears and she wondered dimly how anyone could stand it. Kaeru evidently could and was already pressing away at Street Fighter.

And her face lit up, just like it did when she played tennis…

It occurred to Saeko then that she knew nothing about her so-called friends on the tennis team. It was as if the bonds that tied that tied them together were looser than they seemed initially because once the tennis was stripped away, they had nothing to hold them together. Nothing at all.

But Kaeru – a video game otaku? Who would have thought of it? In spite of herself, Saeko had to smile.

Practice the next morning was a quiet affair, almost morose in quality. It had rained the night before and the grass was left dewy and the air chilly. The coldness clung to the tennis courts, immediately noticed when the girls started up training. The clouds remained and the promise of ill weather loomed overhead, worse than any amount of rain. It never did rain.

The regulars were on their usual court doing their warm-up exercises. Kuroki was not present because she was teaching the seventh graders how to hit a proper backhand on the side court. Hanae normally tutored the freshmen but she was absent again. Her presence was no doubt sorely missed. Kuroki knew for a fact that the freshmen had a tendency to distract Hanae by talking about some boy band so they could get out of gruelling exercises. Hanae's personality completely changed with the subject of boy bands was brought up. She'd forget about tennis entirely. To the freshmen's dismay, Kuroki did not fall prey to the same weakness.

That morning, young Ryuzaki Sakuno put up her hand and asked Kuroki a question. "Sempai, um, do you know what happened to Hana-sempai? Is she sick?"

"No," said Kuroki slowly. "She is not."

She had seen Hanae yesterday, had passed her in the school corridor. Hanae, talking loudly with her gaggle of friends, surrounded by a throng of male admirers. The calm and rational co-captain of the tennis team was only one mere facet of Hanae Koyumi. Not everybody on the team liked who she really was. "A tart"; that was what Hayamichi had described her as. This Hana-fukubuchou was one of those popular girls who cared only for her boys and her clothes and her parties, and everyone else was damned.

"Kuroki-sempai, you look sad," said Sakuno shyly, as if hesitant to point that out.

"I was wondering when our co-captain will return," Kuroki replied with a small smile, fake obviously.

Would it be never? Had the time finally come when Hanae's life of popularity had completely shrouded her love of tennis?

Seishun academy was just like any middle school. The students showed an overt interest in Who Was Dating Who because very few kids actually dated seriously at that age. Not until these children would reach high school would the novelty wear off somewhat.

That was why the word spread around rapidly in the next few days that Hanae Koyumi had a boyfriend. Meanwhile, Hanae still didn't turn up for tennis practice.

The day was Friday. The tournament was on Sunday.

"I think we should kick Hanae off the regular team," Mikata said at the group meeting. "She's showing no commitment to the team at all."

"Kick off the co-captain?" Kyoko shook her head with disbelief. "I'm not sure if that's even been done before. Hana-chan's played tennis since she was five. Whether we'd like to admit it or not, we need her to be playing on Sunday."

The rest of the team was divided, some agreeing with Mikata, others with Kyoko.

Mikata looked at Kaeru and thought back to when she had first seen the girl. Hadn't Kuroki said Kaeru would do the team good? But now what? The team was becoming divided and Hanae might lose her place forever. Kaeru couldn't do anything to remedy that situation. She didn't even look like she cared.

That afternoon found Kaeru in the mood for Singles. She had been working on her Doubles all through practice, and once practice was over, she could not put away her racquet because her craving was still left unsatisfied. As she was brooding on this, she spotted her classmate Fuji Syusuke walking leisurely towards the changing rooms. Impulsively, she hopped over to him and asked him for a quick game of Singles. She'd had her eye on Fuji for a while. He was hailed as a "tennis genius" and on normal days, his Triple Counters was the stuff of corridor gossip. Also, he was one of the few people Kaeru actually talked to.

Fuji agreed to have a friendly match with Kaeru. He went easy on her so that she could take a point here and there; otherwise the match wouldn't have lasted too long. Kaeru didn't care.

"How long have you played tennis?" Kaeru asked him curiously. Pok-pok, went the ball.

"Saa… For a long time," Fuji replied.

Pok-pok.

Kaeru was somewhat conscious of how Fuji's response was guarded, how he didn't seem to trust girls, even though he was nice to them. If Kaeru was a boy, she wouldn't trust girls either. They could be so needy when it came to the opposite sex, and the way most girls bombarded Fuji with chocolates and love confessions demanded a reciprocal which he could not provide.

Hanae was just another one of those needy girls…

"Fuji-san," said Kaeru with sudden interest. "When you fall in love, does that motivate you? Does it satisfy you?"

She had said the first thing that had popped into her head. She forgot to hit the ball and it rolled past her.

"Eh?" said Fuji as he stepped back as if in recoil. He had never expected to hear something like that from Gamano – and so randomly. Kaeru had always been so tomboy-like that Fuji had been lead to assume that she didn't act like the normal fan girls who stared at him and whispered about him in the school corridor.

All girls were the same, Fuji decided. All girls carried that… desire in their hearts. The desire for romantic love.

Kaeru said, in her usual choppy manner, "Our co-captain not come to practice. People say she has boyfriend. Is that enough to quit tennis?"

Ah, so that was what Kaeru was worried about. Fuji closed his eyes.

"Well, it's not the same," he said, looking obviously more than a little uncomfortable; "romantic love and the love of a sport. But I wouldn't know." Fuji had never been in love before.

"Love," said Kaeru, "means nothing." She bent over and picked up the tennis ball.

"This is tennis," she said.

Fuji started chuckling there. He couldn't help it.

The match between Fuji and Kaeru continued. Kaeru served and volleyed every service point. She knew that her forward movement was inestimably less deplorable than her sideways movement. The one shot, Fuji discovered, a person should never hit against Kaeru was the drop shot. No matter how perfectly angled or how much backspin Fuji hit on it, Kaeru would get straight to the ball, usually before mid-bounce.

Passersby began to stop and watch the exchange of blows on-court. Momo nudged Ryoma and (unintentionally) whispered loudly enough for even Kaeru to hear, "Some girl, huh, Echizen?"

Just then, Fuji hit a medium pace ball towards the right-hand corner. Kaeru completely fumbled with her footwork and Fuji's shot turned into an unexpected winner.

"Mada mada da ne," said Echizen as he pulled his cap down over his eyes. The girl still had a long ways to go.

Bone-weary yet completely satisfied, Kaeru shook hands with Fuji at the net. She had had her game of Singles and was pleased with the workout. She thought she needed to play more Singles in order to become a more imposing figure in Doubles. She had toiled hard against an obviously lenient Fuji, had lost epically and now knew exactly what she needed to improve. Her footwork. Singles was hard work covering the court alone. She felt lonesome out there without a partner.

As Kaeru met Fuji's hand with her own hot, sweaty palms, she though about how soft his hands were, like a girl's. The guy had obviously never done a hard day's work in his life. He really was a "Tensai."

It was these types of people, Kaeru thought, who dropped out of the race first. Again, Kaeru could not help but think of Hanae, with her nine going on ten years of tennis experience. Once these geniuses fell, did they have the drive to remain true to themselves? They had the potential.

It was time to put these genius hands of Syusuke to the test.

"Fuji-san, I must ask of you…" Kaeru began formally, and she clutched Fuji's hand tighter. "About my co-captain. If she likes tennis or boys, what if-?"

"If a boy who played tennis talked to her?" Fuji interrupted her, smiling. "Saa… what would she think then?"

"We would know," said Kaeru. What is more important to Hana-san, she thought. Fuji seemed to understand. He squeezed her hand and shook it once more, smiling in an assuring manner.

"It's a promise," he said.

"Oi, Inui, come here! You think Fuji and that girl are dating? They've been standing there at the net shaking hands for a long time."

"That goes against all of my previous data. Fuji must be more of a man than we thought…"

Tennis seminar of the week: When Kaeru says, (or thinks) that she needs to play more Singles to be better at Doubles, she is quite right. The Singles game is physically more taxing than the Doubles game, so a Doubles player who plays lots of Singles will become a better all-court player. I personally think that what made Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde such effective Doubles players was not just their communication and tactics, but also the fact that both were Singles players as well.

Of course, being a good Singles player does not necessary translate to the Doubles game. I think the prince of tennis himself is an excellent case study on that matter. XP

Announcement: A big thanks to all those who voted in the OC popularity poll! I decided to keep the poll open in case any new readers would like to vote too. Now, anyone can check the results of the poll; I made it that way. The results are as follows:

1st place: Gamano Kaeru and Arai Kyoko

2nd place: Kuroki Shizuka

3rd place: Kagura Deberou, Toriyama Asuka and Mikata Natsu

XD I'm surprised Kyoko is so popular.

Kyoko: Tezuka.

Tezuka: Kyoko.

Kyoko: Um...

Tezuka: -arms folded- Shall we make out?

Kyoko: Oh, yes!

-Engage in passionate kiss-

There's your moment of fanservice, girls. Cherish it.

Chapter 15: Deuce

Author's note: Ah, me. As if PoT didn't have enough tournaments in the story already, I just had to go add another one in just to be cool.

I'm sorry if I sound sexist through Fuji in this chapter. I'm a chauvinist pig. Fuji may not be. To you Fuji lovers, if this chapter makes you feel even a little pissed off at Fuji, I feel my work has been done. (Of course, I like Fuji as much as the next person. I apologise if you don't like his role in the story but really, his potential for creating drama and negative conflict was what made me use him for this chapter.)

Character profile of the day:

Mikata Natsu

Blood type: B

Description: Her nickname's 'Natsumaru' and not without reason. Mikata is a self-professed lesbian and a cross-dresser. Contrary to popular opinion, she does not refer to herself as 'ore' but rather as 'boku' because 'boku' is more gentlemanly. She likes to think of herself as a "pretty boy" and goes to some lengths to look handsome. She is actually stronger than most junior-high boys and utilises her strength in the form of her "One-Two Punch", a technique which combines her heavy first serve and down-the-line-forehand. She's at least as strong as Momoshiro and Kawamura. (But not when the latter is in his "Burning" mode.)

Japanese notes: For those of you who don't get the whole 'Natsumaru' thing, '-maru' is found on certain boys' names, kinda like how girls' names can end in '-ko.' Another li'l Japanese note is that most of the guys in PoT refer to themselves as 'ore', or in Atobe's case, 'oresama' so that while 'boku' is still a masculine way of referring to oneself, it actually sounds rather wussy in the middle school environment. Note that FUJI refers to himself as 'boku' as well.

The Osaka accent is usually translated into English the way I've done it. Don't complain if you don't understand it. I, of course, never put any unnecessary roomaji in my stories, so if you read and understand these cultural notes, this chapter should not be beyond your comprehension. I presume you're well-versed in honorifics so I needn't bother explaining that whole concept.

Ch. 15 Deuce

The day of the tournament came sure enough and the sun rose over a cloudless sky. At first, silence reigned over the tennis park but gradually, people came in and the park became a hive of activity. It was the very same park the district regionals had taken place.

Distant from the bustling action, Arai Kyoko stood in front of the gate upon a comparatively lonely street. She could hear the noises from the park but did not feel inclusive to the light-hearted hustle and bustle. She wasn't sure if all of her team would arrive. Hayamichi had promised to play if Hanae didn't turn up but Hayamichi, though her injury was by now recovered, her recovery was only recent and she'd had no prior training for this tournament. Besides, she was the type who would be late to her own funeral.

The others would surely arrive, though. It was important, no, imperative, for Seigaku to win the tournament.

Kuroki arrived first, followed by Mikata and Kagura. Then Saeko and Kaeru turned up with Asuka just behind. Hayamichi appeared around ten minutes later with uncombed hair and some toast in her mouth. It was almost time to register for the tournament.

Disappointment came upon every girl there. Hanae had not come. Everybody had been hoping, secretly or not, that she would turn up. Even though she had not attended practice all week, had she turned up this morning, she would have been promptly forgiven. The girls had been prepared to take the news of Hanae quitting… but she hadn't said a word or hinted to her decision. That hurt the most.

"Come on, it's time to go," said Kyoko finally. "We have to do this."

Slowly they headed for the gates. Heads were down. Hearts were heavy. Nobody was in the mood to win.

As they shuffled into the gates, Kaeru turned her head one last time to look down the street, but it was still deserted.

Fuji… you failed me… she thought with a little sigh. The thought depressed her and she tried in vain to stow it away. Perhaps she ought to have tried approaching Hanae herself.

"Oooh," said Asuka, "you thinking about a boy?"

"Yes," said Kaeru.

For once, Asuka was speechless.

The previous day…

Fuji was at an impasse. He felt compelled to help Kaeru out. Not really out of the kindness in his heart or anything like that but really because he had nothing better to do. There was only one slight problem with Fuji's oh-so-chivalrous intentions: He didn't know where Hanae hung out. She was in his class but he didn't pay much attention to her. She was the sort of classmate whom Fuji endeavoured to ignore.

As Fuji was walking along, he spotted his team mate Echizen lying stretched out under the shade of a tree, apparently dozing.

"Saa…" uttered Fuji, "don't you normally sleep on the rooftop?"

Echizen opened one eye and peered at Fuji with a "What's it to you?" sort of gaze. "Other people up there these days," he mumbled finally. "It's annoying."

"What sort of people?" Fuji pressed him.

At first, he thought Ryoma wouldn't reply at all because the younger boy really didn't seem to be in a chatty mood. Nevertheless, he said, albeit rather shortly, "A boy and a girl." Then he closed his eyes and leaned backwards. He was done with talking.

A boy and a girl alone up on a rooftop? Fuji considered the situation and smiled. It had to be Hanae and her boyfriend. Nobody else would risk it. It was ironic how Ryoma out of all people had unwittingly helped Fuji with his cause. Fuji chuckled at the very thought as he walked to his destination.

Hanae delighted in her privacy. These days, she found it hard to get her boyfriend out of her mind. Her peers were quick to tease, but that was because she had matured earlier than they had, she was convinced. She had blossomed and was no longer shy to the ways of romance. For one thing, she actually had a chest, unlike most other girls in her class.

She leaned forward in anticipation of tasting her boyfriend's lips. Only a very small space separated them – this space was the size of a tennis ball.

ZIP!

And just then, a tennis ball did pass through that space. Hanae felt it pass and it touched neither her lips nor her boyfriend's. It took her a few seconds to register what had happened. Then slowly, she turned her head in the direction of where the tennis had come.

Fuji Syusuke stood by the rooftop stairs, lazily gazing at Hanae. He was still dressed in his regulars jersey and the zip was only half done up. He was holding his racquet in his hand. What he must have done was hit a serve with pin-point accuracy in between Hanae and her boyfriend. He had such an innocent smile on his face, such an innocent smile…

"What do we have here? Have I interrupted something?"

In the changing rooms, Kaeru was getting back into her school uniform. Without any warning, she felt an overwhelming sense of foreboding come over her. She felt like she had done something to make things go from bad to worse. She couldn't explain it at all.

"I-It's Fuji!"

Hanae's boyfriend, who has thus far in this chronicle been utterly ignored, turned and stared at Fuji. Hanae's boyfriend was a simple boy, a nice boy with black hair and an accent from Osaka. His name was Koji. He knew who Fuji was even if Fuji didn't know him. Everyone knew about Fuji, the smiling, sadistic "genius."

Koji wanted to back away but there was nowhere to run from the rooftop. Fuji had the stairs covered.

"What are you doing here?" Hanae asked calmly. Koji blinked and looked at her. His girlfriend had never struck him as being the calm, rational type. He thought she'd scream at the mere idea of someone like Fuji walking in on them.

"Ah," said Fuji, smiling. "How are you, Hanae-san? I just wanted to talk to you for a second."

"Say your piece," Hanae told him warily.

Fuji's smile broadened. "Gamano-san asked me to talk to you. She was wondering if you would be playing at the tournament tomorrow."

Then Fuji, noting his success, proceeded to do a very bad thing. He went on talking.

"Saa… She says love means nothing in tennis. She must think loving is foolish…"

He stopped there, for suddenly, he espied the look of discomfort on Hanae's face – almost of anger. He wondered what she was thinking.

Hanae was thinking this: The moment she had seen Fuji her memories of tennis came flooding back to her. She was a young 'un again, barely able to hold a racquet, running around and returning the balls her mother hit at her. She was eight again; proud that she had won her first tournament. She was twelve again, entering Seigaku's walls for the first time. Life had been so simple when she was younger.

She heard what Fuji said and it made her feel ashamed. After she had entered middle school, something within Hanae had changed. She began to notice boys, to love them, to become interested in actors and musicians and those who reached for the stars. Tennis took a back seat for her and though she was still co-captain on the team, she devoted less time to what had once been her sole obsession. The shift had been gradual and nobody had really noticed it until now… recently…

She hated who she had become. And she hated Fuji for making it known to her.

Hanae was suddenly swept away with a feeling of indescribable rage. Fuji's face loomed in front of her, smiling; oh how she hated that infuriating smile! Mechanically, she leaned forward and dimly, she realised what she was about to do.

She slapped him.

It felt so good, so good to release all of her anger. She was either calm or gregarious – never was she allowed to be angry. And so vindicated, she stormed right past the stricken Fuji and disappeared down the stairs without glancing behind her.

"W-What?" Koji stuttered. "Koyumi, wait!" He dashed down the stairs in earnest.

Fuji was left alone to trace the marks Hanae had left on his face. He had never been slapped by a girl before. It was a rather painful experience. His cheek stung like fire, but it didn't smart as much as his pride did. Girls were so confusing. Maybe it was because he was a boy, but he reckoned there were some girls who didn't even understand themselves. Like Hanae, for instance.

When he came down the stairs, Hanae and Koji were nowhere in sight. Fuji was no longer smiling.

He saw Echizen outside, still under the same tree as earlier.

"Rooftop's free now," Fuji told him.

Echizen opened his eye and slowly got to his feet. "Thank you," he said, in English.

Fuji sighed. Even Ryoma had some vestige of manners. At least he didn't go around bitch-slapping anyone.

"Your face," said Ryoma suddenly, staring. Fuji blinked as Echizen began to chuckle. "Mada mada da ne, Fuji-sempai."

The brown-haired genius realised just then that an angry red bruise in the shape of a hand had formed on his left cheek. There was only one way that could have gotten there.

"You should be nicer to girls, sempai." The ironic statement of the day. And from Echizen's mouth…?

Fuji really wasn't having a very good day at all.

"Koyumi! Koyumi!"

Hanae turned around upon hearing her first name being called out. Koji ran to meet her and stopped beside her, panting. He was relieved to see that she wasn't as livid as she had been earlier. In fact, she had a rather tranquil expression on her face.

"I t'ought I'd find ya 'ere." He grinned and nodded his head. "The tennis courts."

So they were too.

Hanae looked at Koji and realised, startled, that she was not in love with him. She had never been in love with him.

"Koji," she said slowly, "this can't work."

He didn't react violently at all to that, to her relief. In fact, he only smiled sheepishly.

"I kinda knew dat," he admitted. "I dun t'ink I have the… ya know… maturity to 'andle dis stuff."

He had a lot more maturity than some people, Hanae thought, but she couldn't be bothered telling him that.

"I realised today what my true love is," Hanae told Koji. "It's tennis. And you don't have to be mature to handle it. Sport is for everyone."

Koji nodded. That was certainly true.

With each word, with each gesture, Hanae seemed to swell up and regain more of her former self. "Come on," she said, smiling. "I'll show you what I mean."

She took his hand and led him to the tennis court with a deliberation that bespoke eager anticipation. And when Hanae took out her racquet and played, her eyes began to sparkle, to crinkle and to smile.

Hanae took a while to warm up and gradually her old skill came back to her. "It's been a while," she remarked as she lobbed a ball high into the air, "since I hit this shot."

Koji gazed up at the ball. Hanae had managed to toss the ball so high and yet it would land well inside the court. It would, in fact, be an easy shot to smash. Koji played a little tennis himself; not all that much but at least he knew how to smash. He could keep the rally going.

Carefully he positioned himself beneath the ball and smashed it. The ball went into the net. Koji was disappointed.

Hanae laughed. "Ah, that was supposed to happen." She didn't tell him that had been her signature shot: the Water Lob. She lobbed the ball high into the air and made it an easy shot to smash, but that was actually a trap: the spin on the ball made it impossible to smash over the net. The only way to counter it was to hit beneath the ball but the idea of that sounded pretty stupid, so Hanae got away with hitting the Water Lob nine times out of ten.

Ah, it was so rejuvenating hitting that shot. Hanae felt a longing come over and she knew what she was going to do tomorrow. She was going to go to the tournament and beg for forgiveness of her team mates, even if she would have to go on her knees to do so.

She rose early to go to the tournament. She brought her tennis bag and her wallet so she could buy food at the tennis park. She very deliberately left her Pretty Boy magazines on her desk at home so that she would not touch them and be distracted.

Her heart was thumping with anticipation as she closed the door of her house and began to head off. She had only just started down the path when she saw a boy running up to her. Hanae suddenly felt a little ill.

It was Fuji.

"Good morning, Hana-san," he chirped to her, very cheerfully indeed. "I'm glad I could find you. Koji-kun gave me your address." (Koji-kun had been bribed and then blackmailed in order to provide Fuji with the information but it slipped Fuji's mind to mention that insignificant little detail to her.)

"So why did you want to see me?" Hanae asked. She could still see her hand marks on Fuji's face. What his parents and his sister must have said of that she couldn't begin to contemplate. She began to feel a little sorry for him.

Fuji smiled very innocently indeed. What a forgiving boy he was, Hanae thought.

"Saa… I have to tell you that the tournament is next week, not today. I ran all the way over here to tell you that. You must be glad you do not need to waste your time any more."

"Th-Thanks," Hanae stuttered. In her guilt, she didn't suspect Fuji of anything at all, other than he was being a jolly good sport. "Look, is there anything I can do for you?" she asked. "I'm very sorry about yesterday."

Fuji's smile widened at that. "There is something you can do," he said. "Come, come, follow me."

Hanae followed.

As long as Hanae was late, Fuji thought. And if she didn't turn up at all that would be even better. He only needed to keep an eye on her now and waste her time so that the consequences falling back on her and not on him would be catastrophic. She would be disqualified from the tournament and would no doubt be scrapped from the regulars. Fuji delighted at the prospect of her future pain. She did, after all, deserve it for slapping him. He didn't hear the end of it from Yumiko and the fact that even Ryoma had laughed at him was almost too much to bear. He needed revenge.

While he was at it, he may as well get something out of it.

"My camera is out of battery," he explained to Hanae mildly. "Perhaps you would like to buy me some more…?"

"Of course!" said Hanae, and then she went ahead and bought him some heavy duty batteries.

"I'm feeling a bit peckish," Fuji told her after that. "I ran all the way from my house to yours and I didn't have time to stop for breakfast."

"Right," said Hanae. "I'll take you to the noodle bar."

"No, no," Fuji interposed, smiling. "How about we go into a restaurant and take our time? It'll be fun." He wanted somewhere with a clock so he could privately laugh at the time passing by while sponging off Hanae for even more money.

Hanae frowned. This sounded an awful lot like a date…

Then, remembering how much she owed Fuji, she cleared the thought away and complied with what he said.

The clock on the wall of the restaurant told Fuji that there was ten minutes to go before the tournament began. He just needed to keep her occupied until that time passed and then he could freely go and do other things.

First… what to do…? A light bulb suddenly turned on in Fuji's brain. He'd get her to talk about herself.

"Saa… How are you feeling right now?" Fuji asked. "Good?"

"Well…" Hanae bit her lip and contemplated. "I really wished the tournament was today because I just wanted to play. Fuji-san, after this, could we go to Kyoko-san's house? I really want to apologise for not coming to practice."

She sighed. Fuji glanced at the clock and said, "Go on."

"There's something special about Seigaku's regulars, I think," Hanae continued. "I sometimes watched you practise. You devote your whole lives to tennis. And well, I've never seen a group of such strong, like-minded individuals anywhere. I never really thought about what it meant to be a Seigaku regular, but now… I'd do anything to stay on the team. I know I might be aiming a little high but I really want to go to Nationals, just as much as the others do. I'm proud to be from Seigaku."

As Hanae was saying this, the smile slowly came away from Fuji's face. For a moment after she finished talking, the two simply sat there, in silence. The clock ticked and tocked. It would be too late now.

Tennis seminar of the week: I can think of no better way to express today's seminar than through dialogue.

Me: So, Ryoma. In the anime, you defeated Lleyton Hewitt, the former no. 1 in the world. He's been on the ATP tour for a long time now and even when he was a junior, he showed immense talent. However, you might know he's got other commitments now. He's a father for one thing. People reckon he'll never be as good as he once was. Do you think it is sad how these champions fall when they have other things in their life…? Or do you think that there is something more to life than being the best in the world?

Ryoma: Nope.

Chapter 16: Forgotten player

Author's note: And… It's back to tennis as usual. I'm pathetic. Oh wells.

KaeruxSaeko is a pretty fluffy Yuri pair, it occurred to me. I shall call them the Fluff Pair from now on. Unfortunately, they're not actually gay for each other.

Character profile of the day:

Kagura Deberou

Blood type: O

Description: She's an eighth grader. Unlike most Japanese people, Kagura introduces herself given name first and refers to other people without honorifics and most likely she does this because she is half-French. Her last name is 'Devereaux' and both her names are written in Katakana. Kagura seems somewhat snobbish but it is because she is very competitive. Her style of tennis is "Ballet Tennis" and her signature move is the En Pointe stance. However, the technique is physically draining and every time she uses it, Kagura must rest for several days afterwards.

Odd Spot: Kagura is not only talented at tennis and ballet; she is quite skilled at the piano and the flute. Her IQ is over 150 and she can speak French, English, Italian and Latin. (And Japanese. Obviously.)

Ch. 16 Forgotten player

There were plenty of girls about the tennis park that morning. Most of them travelled in groups, mainly in twos or threes. As they were all of different schools, they were all very different in terms of dress, but one thing they had in common: they all wore short skirts. Whether they were sport skirts or school skirts was hardly of any significance: the length was the same, and the length showed off plenty of leg. It was a pity there weren't many males walking around to drink in the delights. Thus, one person in particular took a keen interest in observing and then flirting with any girls passing by. Also, this particular person was actually quite popular with the girls, thank you very much. This didn't sound like anything much in itself until it was remembered that this person was actually a girl.

"Oh, look at that! Natsumaru's hitting on random girls!" Hayamichi said, looking scandalised. "Again!"

Hayamichi ought to have been used to it. Mikata loved meeting (and flirting) with anything female in her spare time. Only, now didn't seem like the appropriate moment for such behaviour. The team had just registered into the tournament. Seigaku's first match was to begin very soon.

Watching Mikata flirt was a raucous experience, in any case. She'd wait and choose her victim very carefully and then she'd pounce. She'd gently start up a conversation, laugh, tell a joke, put her hand on the victim's shoulder and bring the prey closer. Sometimes, if Mikata put enough patience into it, she got a kiss. And then soon after that, she'd leave the victim alone and never talk to her again. Mikata had "commitment phobia."

"So is Natsumaru really into girls?" Saeko asked. She looked a little uncomfortable.

"I don't know," said Kyoko dryly. "She gets a great kick out of flirting with girls. She out-studs any player. It must be the irony that gets to her."

Kuroki said, "Do you remember when we were all seventh graders and Natsumaru tricked us all into thinking she was a boy?"

Hayamichi laughed. "Oh, I remember that well!"

"What happened?" asked Kagura curiously.

Kyoko took up the tale. "Natsumaru approached the girls' team dressed up as a boy, so we all thought she was on the boys' team. She practised with us for the day but we didn't mind that too much. We got worried when Natsumaru followed us to the locker rooms when we were changing."

"What did you do?" Asuka laughed.

"Well," said Kyoko as she cocked her head in recall, "I remember Hana-chan saying, 'Eww, you pervert! What are you doing here?' And Natsumaru says, 'Pervert, am I? Well then, get a load o' these!' And she pulls her pants down. That's how we found out Natsumaru was a girl."

"Oh dear!" exclaimed Saeko as she burst into a fit of giggles.

Everyone else laughed as well, and even Kaeru cracked a smile. Kuroki felt relieved at the sound of laughter. Hanae's absence had affected them all in some way or other but it was important to bounce back, to keep pressing on.

"Come on," said Kuroki, "let's go."

The matches began soon enough. It was like the first round of the district regionals all over again, although this time, Kaeru and Saeko were playing Doubles 1. They both struggled with the harder matches that came their way. It certainly looked like they were struggling. It wasn't that the standard between the Doubles 1 and the Doubles 2 was that large a gap. Saeko had been biting her nails as she had walked on to the court; this was one of her nervous habits, Kaeru knew plainly.

Thwock! Kaeru would hit the ball. The opposition would return it. It would be a fairly easy shot to Saeko's forehand, but Saeko was concentrating too hard. She would hit it out.

Kaeru felt frustrated. Saeko would always do this. If she made a mistake, she'd suddenly lose confidence and hit plenty more errors. She never played her best unless she had nothing to lose.

When it came to Break Point against them, Saeko was pale-faced but nobody would have noticed. She concealed her anxiety well and only quietly began to prepare her serve. At that moment, Kaeru took her aside.

"Saeko-chan, show what you've learned." This was said with an encouraging smile and a nod, which was about the limit of Kaeru's emotion gauge. But she meant everything she said.

"Of course," Saeko murmured. And she turned to face the net and she looked at her opponents with a fire in her eyes, and she gripped her racquet tightly, and she smiled. "I've been practising," she said, a note of pride carrying through her voice.

The next time Saeko hit a forehand, a very odd thing happened. The ball was caught in the strings for a split second; then Saeko flicked her wrist and the ball sped right past the opponents who were at the net. It was the Aikido Return.

Kagura gasped. "The Aikido Return! That was from Saeko's Singles match against Kaeru! That's a shot hit from the backhand, though."

"Fuunare really has been practising if she can hit that shot with one hand now," Kuroki said, smiling. "Those two have been working really hard on their Doubles all last week."

From there, the match progressed in Kaeru and Saeko's favour and the pair eventually won 6-3. They wordlessly embraced each other and walked off the court together, holding hands.

Kuroki was up next playing Singles 3. Her opponent looked like a tough girl. She had a heart-shaped tattoo on one of her sinewy arms. She was dressed in the typical sailor-type uniform and on top of that, she wore a white bandana on her head – much like a sailor's cap. Had the girl taken off the bandana, Kuroki would have seen that the girl's hair was short and clung to her scalp. Kuroki seemed rather weak in comparison, with her slim limbs and rather gaunt face.

"Ah, Kuroki, you forgot your racquet!" Kyoko called out just as Kuroki had gotten to her feet.

"Ah, my mistake," Kuroki said softly and with age-old humility. She gratefully accepted the racquet from Kyoko.

"That…!" Kagura exclaimed suddenly, staring. "That racquet is wooden!"

Mikata laughed at that. "Didn't you know Kuroki plays with a wooden racquet? That's how the old-style racquets were made. It's just like that old fogey Kuroki – always living in the past."

"Evil granny voodoo…" Asuka muttered darkly.

Kuroki ignored the jibes and went on court to play. She proceeded to cream the sailor girl at tennis. How she did this was bizarre, seeing as the strings on Kuroki's racquet were so weak and imparted very little spin. It had to be difficult.

"Wow!" said Saeko, amazed. "How is it possible to hit the ball so hard with a wooden racquet? Kuroki-sempai's an absolute genius!"

"I dare say Kuroki wouldn't play so well with a normal racquet," Kyoko chuckled. "But still, you're right. She is amazing, isn't she? She gets by with a completely flat forehand and a slice backhand. That's Classical Tennis. Nobody plays like that any more."

Seigaku's female regulars were amazing, Hayamichi thought, a little ruefully. Technically, Hayamichi wasn't part of the group, even though Hanae was gone. Hayamichi was actually a little glad that Hanae had up and left; she hadn't liked the co-captain that much anyway. The Singles 2 Hayamichi would play as the substitute really did not count for her. She was tired of being the player everyone forgot about. She was tired of being just a good sport. She wanted to play, like how Kuroki played and Kaeru and Saeko played; they who were part of the team.

"Harumph! What's this? Where's Hanae?" a girl was asking in a loud trumpet-like sort of voice. She was staring at the Seigaku girls, and judging from the light blue colour of her uniform, she was from the opposition. She looked to be a ninth grader for she was as tall as Kyoko. She had thick brown hair which was tied up in a long braid down her back, and she also had dark, brown, brooding sort of eyes.

"Ah!" Hayamichi blinked involuntarily. "Inada Makoto!"

Inada was a familiar face at the tennis meets. She had competed up to Kanto level and had declared that this year, she was aiming for Nationals. Everyone heard about that because she spoke so loudly.

"Harumph!" Inada snorted again. "I really wanted to play Hanae…! She's my rival; I want to beat her!"

Hayamichi's ears hurt. "She's not here…" she said, "… today. I'm going to be playing Singles 2."

Inada snorted once more. (This was not out of scorn. It was only an involuntary action for Inada.)

"You, Hayamichi? I see! Harumph!" Then Inada frowned. "I heard you were injured, harrumph!"

"I was but I've recovered now."

Inada glanced sideways at Hayamichi as if measuring her. Then she said, "That is well."

The Singles 3 ended just then and the two girls who had been facing off came to the net and shook hands. Letting out a bull-like grunt, Inada announced, "Harumph! Time to start."

Slowly, almost uncertainly, Hayamichi set off after Inada.

Kuroki stood up. "Hayamichi, take care," she said suddenly. "Don't strain yourself. If you do, your injuries will recur. Remember that it has only been a few days since you've recovered."

Hayamichi sighed hearing that. Mikata was right. Kuroki was an old lady. And a fussy old lady too.

Kagura didn't say anything, only looked on with anticipation. It was Hayamichi's debut in Singles. How she'd measure up was anyone's guess. Kagura hoped she would do well, actually wanted it to be so. That day at the district regionals, the older girl had shown something of herself. She had begged Kagura to defeat Kaname, having sworn revenge against Kuki for calling her fat. Kagura suspected that she and Hayamichi weren't really all that different…

Coach Sabe Ryo of Kakkenoki had turned up to the tournament with the intention of gathering data for the team. Kuki Kaname had accompanied him, for her skill in analysing a tennis match was as good as, if not better than his own abilities. The other members of the Kakkenoki team had not turned up, saying they were busy. Sabe was very disappointed in them.

He shook his head, clearing his wayward thoughts from his mind. He had decided to watch Seigaku, for he had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to the players than their matchup last week had revealed. There was something… uniquely characteristic of Seigaku, as in the individuals who made up the team fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. It was something that was missing from Kakkenoki.

The girl from Seigaku who was playing Singles was someone who had not played the last week. A benchwarmer, Sabe thought. She didn't look too athletic but her forehand looked strong. The other player was Inada Makoto, who Sabe knew about. That girl was more bark than bite, to be honest.

"What do you think, Kana-chan?" The coach turned to the girl standing silently next to him.

Kaname was dressed in casual attire: a dull orange jumper and matching skirt. She was holding a notebook and pen and was writing something in it with a slow yet steady hand.

"That girl," she said suddenly, "won't win."

"Who?" Sabe asked with surprise. Kaname had surely never seen either girl on the court play before.

"That girl," Kaname repeated in her quiet manner.

She pointed at Hayamichi.

Tennis seminar of the week: Kuroki's tennis is based off some of the very old, redundant tennis. In my mind, I picture her as a bit of Evonne Goollagong. She is a graceful player who uses tactics and guile to win, not like Inada's tennis at all. (Which I haven't really gone into yet… sorry.) If you want to know more about wooden racquets, watch episode 3 of the anime.

Fluff Pair is the greatest. Now go recommend this story to your friends. XD.

FUJI: Where was I in this chapter?

Chapter 17: Wrong Foot

Author's note: This is another one of those overly long tennis matches you dread when you read this fanfic.

Character profile of the day:

Toriyama Asuka

Blood type: B

Description: An eighth grader just like Kagura, Asuka is a bit of a joker. She plays a very unpredictable kind of tennis called "Lottery Tennis" which is basically hitting any kind of difficult shot there is. Asuka seems to be quite superstitious and is often seen playing with cards. Asuka is actually an incredible golfer and those who have seen her play call her "the next Karrie Webb." (Her golf style is most likely similar to her tennis style.) Asuka is crass and loud-mouthed but she cares greatly for the team.

Odd spot: Her names mean "Bird mountain" and "Flying bird." This is in reference to golf shots which are named after birds: The birdie, the eagle and the albatross.

Ch. 17 Wrong Foot

On the court, Inada was snorting even louder than she normally did. She was the type of player who grunted as she hit every shot. It was rather annoying.

"I expected more from you, Hayamichi!" she roared suddenly. "This is not the same as a match against Hanae and you know it!"

"It's not," Hayamichi said quietly. Frowning.

Whether Inada meant those words to be harsh or simply to be honest was something Hayamichi did not know. She didn't ask. It was only to be expected that she wouldn't play as well as she normally could. She had not played tennis at all since the ranking tournament. Perhaps it had been too soon for her to return to competitive tennis. She wasn't even meant to play that day; damn that Hanae.

Hayamichi gulped involuntarily. What would Hanae have done? She quickly wiped the thought of her from her mind.

"Don't strain yourself," Kuroki had said, Kuroki's advice was generally insightful, so Hayamichi did not hit the ball as hard as she normally did. Inada could sense that. Oblivious though she was to most other things, Inada was innately aware that Hayamichi was playing only half-hearted tennis. It frustrated her.

"Play for real!" Inada emitted a lusty grunt and slammed her racquet against the ball with a primal ferocity. Hayamichi flinched. She was taken aback by the sheer speed of the ball. She dashed to return it at the right-hand corner and was just stretching for the shot when suddenly, she remembered…

"Don't strain yourself."

But Hayamichi couldn't let this ball slide. She could sense Inada's fury from the other side of the net.

Hayamichi dug her feet into the ground as she saw the ball coming. Then she swung, hit the ball –

- Ouch, her wrist hurt -

- and the ball sped over the net.

Hayamichi got to her feet, ready for the next shot. She had to ignore the pain that had briefly coursed through her body.

Every time Inada hit a shot, she grunted.

She's trying to stir me up, Hayamichi thought with annoyance. She ran from one corner to the next, returning every shot Inada hit. Her wrist was still shaking from the earlier return and she wondered how much further it could be pushed. If she didn't want to strain her wrist, she had to get to the ball early so she could properly prepare her shots.

Hayamichi was not a speedy player. Sure, she had all the right footwork but she found that running from corner to corner was difficult for her. She tired of long rallies, not just because of the physical exertion but also because the longer a rally became, the more important it seemed to become, even though the reward was only a single point.

These thoughts flashing through her mind, Hayamichi decided to do something that would, perhaps, cost her. She decided to anticipate Inada's shots. Promptly, she began to dash towards the left-hand corner, sensing that Inada would hit her next shot there. It seemed to work, for the ball bounced precisely into the spot Hayamichi anticipated.

Inada seemed to grunt even louder than usual as she hit her shots, but Hayamichi returned them all silently. Inada was being pushed back but instead of frowning, she was smiling and grunting all the louder.

Mikata said, "Hayamichi's reacting to the sound of Inada's grunting." Hayamichi was not looking up at all.

"Why?" asked Kagura.

Kuroki frowned. "She's focusing on the ball, trying to anticipate the next shot. She's so focused that looking up will break her concentration."

"So is that girl, by grunting, doing Haya-sempai a favour?" Saeko asked.

"In matches like these," said Kyoko grimly, "nothing the opponent does is for your benefit."

The girls fell silent then.

Aside from Inada's grunting, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of the ball being hit. For a moment, only briefly perceptible, a cunning expression crossed Inada's otherwise daft-looking face. Then she hit the ball, waited a full second… and then grunted.

When she heard the grunt, Hayamichi began to sprint, but Inada had hit the ball at the spot Hayamichi had been before she had sprinted. Only too late did Hayamichi realise her mistake.

"Game to Inada, three games to one."

"Th-That was dirty!" Saeko gasped, and beside her, Kaeru frowned.

Kyoko sighed. "Grunting is not disallowed in tennis."

"Besides," said Mikata, "using the Wrong Foot is an actual tactic to win points."

"…Wrong Foot?" Kaeru looked confused. Then again, what Mikata said did sound odd.

Mikata laughed at Kaeru's bafflement. Then she said, "The Wrong Foot is a counter technique used against players who can anticipate your shots. If they're moving too early to where they think you're going to hit it, you can hit a shot back behind them. That usually puts them way off-balance. See?" Mikata gestured towards Hayamichi. The big girl was, at that moment, being wrong footed, just as Mikata had described. Hayamichi went one way and the ball went the other way. Hayamichi was grimacing.

"You never played like this before," Hayamichi said to Inada accusingly as she was gasping for breath.

"You're right," answered her opponent. "I've gotten better now, haven't I?"

She grunted and then hit the ball square on her racquet face. As she did, she recalled…

… hitting the ball hard against the wall over and over again. And it wasn't good enough to be great.

"Someone told me," said Inada, "that my playing style was too reckless and that if I placed my shots better I'd win more points."

She hit a forehand with all her might, rolling her wrist back and flicking it towards Hayamichi's backhand corner. The shot was a winner. Hayamichi simply couldn't get there in time.

Hayamichi scowled. Kyoko, who was watching on, but her lip in anxiety.

"Ah," Kyoko sighed, "our Hayamichi cannot change direction like any speedy player. She's simply not built for it."

"You're right," said Mikata, frowning. And she couldn't help but say, "We wouldn't have this much trouble with the Singles 2 if Hanae was here."

"Stop that," said Kagura suddenly.

Everyone looked at the normally reserved Kagura with surprise.

Kagura was recalling the look of the injured Hayamichi Miyako at the ranking tournament. That Hayamichi who, without fail, would always put on a brave smile and would support the team, even come to their matches. And half the girls on the team couldn't even remember Hayamichi's name…!

"We must," said Kagura, "support Miyako."

"This miso soup is nice," Fuji remarked to Hanae, who was busy scrutinising the clock on the wall. She was ignoring him.

"Don't we have an English test tomorrow?" she said suddenly. "I need to go practise my verbs."

"That's fine," he said.

He had decided that he wouldn't tell Hanae that the tournament was on today. He didn't want to get slapped again, for one thing, and also he was fairly sure the girls could handle themselves without Hanae.

At the thought, he frowned. "I wonder how Hayamichi-san's match is doing," he mused.

Oops, he thought as he saw Hanae frown. That had been a mistake.

"What did you say?" she asked sternly.

"Oh dear," said Fuji.

Hanae couldn't believe what Fuji had done and that he had done it out of pure spite. How could such a pretty face be behind such malice? Not that she was in love with him or anything but she had trusted him. Now she was angry.

Needless to say, the lone slap mark on Fuji's cheek was not alone any more.

And as if Fuji didn't get enough punishment, the next thing Hanae did was drag him away by his pretty brown hair while saying into his ear, "Right, you're coming to the tennis with me. I'm sure people will have plenty to say about you."

The first person Hanae and Fuji saw at the tennis park was none other than Echizen Ryoma. He was sitting on a bench drinking Ponta. He snorted into his can when he caught sight of the state of Fuji's face.

"Mada mada da ne, sempai." Stupid kid had no respect for his seniors at all.

"Echizen, what are you doing here?" Fuji and Hanae asked in unison.

At that moment, Eiji jumped out from behind a bush and glomped Fuji fiercely. "We're here to watch the girls play tennis!" he explained brightly. "In short skirts!"

Ryoma rolled his eyes.

Momo also stepped out from behind the bush. He was grinning. "Well, actually," he chuckled, "we're going to support Seigaku."

Hanae started. "Of course! Seigaku! We've got to go!"

The score in the Inada versus Hayamichi match was 5-2, Inada's way. Hayamichi was absolutely dripping sweat and was panting heavily. Inada looked as fresh as if she had only began to play tennis the minute before.

Was this going to be it? Hayamichi thought worriedly. She felt desperation flutter in her bosom. She didn't want to lose, for she had the feeling that nobody would really mind if she did. She'd simply be forgotten entirely. That was how it had always been… really. She'd get on the team, but other players like Hanae and Kuroki would outshine her. No matter how hard she practised…

Pok-pok-pok. The sound of the racquet hitting ball echoed in her ears.

She'd joined the team in seventh grade because she had been eager to lose weight. Her classmates constantly teased her. But anything other than her current size was unhealthy for her, she discovered, and so she stood out – but not in the way she wanted to stand out.

She wanted to stand out and be part of the team.

"Go, Hayamichi! You can do it!" Hayamichi heard someone yell. Looking up, she saw the team regulars were on their feet and were cheering loudly. Cheering for her.

Hayamichi blinked and felt something briefly sting her eye. She brought her hand up to wipe her eye when she saw out of the corner of her eye a familiar girl running towards her and waving.

"Do it for the team, Hayamichi!"

Hanae…

Tennis seminar of the week: Today, I'll talk about the TeniPuri manga. Recently, I've been perusing it, and I've come to notice some subtle descriptions about Seigaku girls' tennis club. I'll list them for you:

1. The girls are super kawaii. (Genius 44)

2. They are a laid-back team and their ranking tournaments occur at different times from the boys. Plus, their skirts are designed to flap up when they play. ^.^ (Genius 91)

3. Just a timeline thing: The girls start their competition before the boys and end before the boys. At the district regionals, they finished their matches right after the Gyokurin versus Seigaku round. In the manga, Sakuno turned up to watched the girls play instead of watching Momo and Ryoma team up in doubles. (Genius 26)

So far, this fic has followed the anime timeline. The Tezuka vs. Ryoma match hasn't happened yet and other bits and pieces are out of order. I think after the Metros I'll stop following the anime timeline and go with the manga.

Chapter 18: Determination

Author's note: Thank you to KuroiKuu who beta-ed this chapter for me. Also, special thanks to Asami-chann, my 'regular' beta reader.

Character profile of the day:

Fuunare Saeko

Blood type: A

Description: Shy yet sweet-tempered, Saeko is the youngest of the eighth graders. She is a counter-puncher in terms of tennis style and bases her tennis off the harmony and elegance of Aikido. Her biggest flaw seems to be how she tenses up at important points, but when paired with Kaeru, she becomes more confident. Saeko shares a close long-distance relationship with her grandfather and calls him regularly. She also seems to have developed a close bond with Kaeru and they often go to the video arcade after school.

Odd spot: Saeko's grandfather is Catholic and Saeko takes after him. Saeko says grace before and after any meal and goes to Church every Sunday. When Saeko has a tennis tournament that day, she usually turns up for an extra day of confession during the week.

Ch. 18 Determination

When Inada had been young she had been surrounded by family, particularly by her older brothers. They had been protective of her and they, along with her parents, gave her the love that only the youngest child can know.

One day, Inada's brothers matured. They no longer had time for her. Since then, all Inada wanted was to stand out and receive all the adoring attention of her younger days. Yet, the harder she tried and the louder she spoke, the less people listened. The only way Inada was able to express her desire was to win at tennis. She would win no matter the cost.

Then people might start to notice her again.

The cheering was almost deafening.

"Seigaku! Seigaku! Goooooo!"

"Hayamichi! Hayamichi!"

There was no one cheering louder than Hanae; her enthusiasm spoke more than a thousand apologies could ever do for her repentance.

"Hana-san! What are you doing here?" her surprised team mates asked her. Hanae only shook her head and said, "Now's not the time for that. Hayamichi has a match!"

"Oh, is that her name?" said Eiji stupidly, with an incredulous "She has a name?" sort of look on his face.

"Hey, don't worry," Asuka told Eiji, "I didn't know her name either. She didn't strike me as very important."

Everyone present sweat-dropped. At least Asuka was honest.

"The tone of this match has changed," Kaname remarked.

"You're right, Kana-chan," Coach Sabe agreed. "The cheering for Seigaku has gotten louder. That girl down there seems to have gotten herself some new wings."

Kaname frowned a little. It wasn't what she had predicted to happen. Then she remembered how shocked she had felt when playing Kagura. Kaname sighed; now she realized that Seigaku was full of surprises. Perhaps what was happening now was only to be expected.

On the court, it certainly seemed Hayamichi had rejuvenated herself. Just the knowledge that she wasn't forgotten, that the others considered her part of the team tempered her resolve. She couldn't believe she had questioned her own reliability. Even Hanae, the one whom Hayamichi thought was the most stuck-up member of the team, believed in her. It gave her the strength to continue.

Conversely, as the match progressed, Inada seemed to grow more flustered. It wasn't that she was playing worse, it was that she could no longer Wrong Foot Hayamichi. She wondered how on earth Hayamichi could have gotten so much faster and stronger halfway through a match.

However, despite her wonder, she knew perfectly what the reason was. Hayamichi had been playing at a half-pace earlier and now that those who were watching started cheering for her, she could go all the way. At the mere thought, Inada felt hot anger course throughout her body. She didn't receive that much support from her team mates, but she deserved it.

When the score became 5-5, Inada simply snapped.

"Harumph! That's enough! Me! I'll be the winner!"

From then on, Inada's tennis completely changed. No longer was she playing precise tennis: she was whacking the ball with all her fury – anywhere as long as it was in. Sometimes, she would hit the ball directly at Hayamichi, who was obliged to skip out of the way to avoid being hit. Inada paid no more heed to the noises she was making and seemed to scream out her passionate rage every time she hit the ball.

Even the onlookers trembled at Inada's display. "W-What's that girl doing?" Saeko stuttered, shrinking away with fear.

"She's gone completely berserk!" Asuka exclaimed.

"This," Kyoko said, "is Inada's true tennis. It's how she always played last year."

"Like a reckless boar charging blindly," Mikata said grimly. "She'll push Hayamichi to her very limits."

Kuroki shook her head in dismay. "Hayamichi does not need that now. If she's pushed too much she'll make her injuries worse." She voiced her concerns about the match-up.

Kagura glanced at Ryoma to see if he was affected by the drama. He was sleeping.

"Women's tennis is not as exciting as men's tennis, huh?" she muttered darkly.

Women's tennis was exciting, Momo thought. It just wasn't as much if the players were fat or if they grunted like men.

Momo, of course, did not say that out loud.

Hayamichi did not care whether or not Momo found her interesting to watch. She was going to beat Inada at her game, even at the cost of injury. She was stretching more her shots that it hurt her limbs, but she refused to let it inhibit her movements. Her face became set and grim; nobody watching could have predicted of the sudden pain that would wrack her body between points – when the adrenaline would fade ever so slightly.

Involuntarily, Hayamichi began to slow down as the match approached a tiebreaker and the intensity of Inada's reckless energy began to fade at the same rate. The two dog-tired players took up their stances to begin the tiebreak at 6-6.

"Anyone can win it from here," Kuroki said softly. "The one who wants to win it more shall succeed."

Hanae bit her lip. "Come on, Hayamichi!" she muttered, a fire in her eyes. "Come on, you can do it!"

Hayamichi was the first to stumble. Suddenly, she fell over and couldn't seem to hold her racquet any more. Her face was contorted in agony but no tears leaked out. For a moment, she sat motionless as if she had reached the end of her rope.

Amid plaintive gasps, the umpire came down from his chair and hurried towards Hayamichi's fallen body.

"Are you all right?" was the first thing that sprang upon the umpire's lips. "You're unable to play any more."

"I'm… fine…!" Hayamichi rasped. Then the tears of pain came. It blurred her vision but strangely enough, she could still see Hanae out of the corner of her eye.

I was so weak!

Slowly, Hayamichi got to her feet and with a trembling hand picked up her fallen racquet.

"I just slipped," Hayamichi explained coolly.

"No!" Hanae cried out suddenly. "No! This can't go on!" She couldn't restrain her worry anymore.

Hayamichi simply tossed her a haughty look. "I care about the team, fukubuchou." The way she laid stress on Hanae's title sounded as if she was scorning it.

That Hayamichi had so quickly turned her back against the person who had supported her most in the match revealed just how little the big girl truly cared for her co-captain. At least, that was the way Hanae saw it.

"Why, you ungrateful…!" Hanae clenched her fist in anger.

"Well, no need to get so violent," Fuji said suddenly, pulling a restraining arm in front of Hanae. His eyes were open, gleaming with excitement.

"F-Fuji!" Hanae shot him a venomous look.

Fuji said calmly, "There's been a misunderstanding here. Hana-san was worried that Hayamichi-san would hurt herself too much. She truly cares about the people on the team." His matter-of-fact tone seemed to shake everyone out of their strong emotions. "But, it's match point, isn't it, Hayamichi-san? One more point. I'm sure you can manage if it's for the team."

Hayamichi smiled, nodded and got to her feet.

Hanae glared at Fuji. What was he up to this time? She couldn't believe he was settling the conflict out of the kindness in his heart. There probably wasn't any kindness in there.

"If someone wants to prove something," Fuji said, "wouldn't you let that person be?"

As he said that, he thought of his little brother Yuuta. Yuuta, whose dream he had failed to acknowledge, which, in his mind, had lead to Yuuta going away…

"You hypocrite." Hanae rolled her eyes.

This is it, Hayamichi thought. With shaking limbs, she prepared for the final point of the match.

In a low voice that barely carried over the net, Inada said, "People acknowledge your dreams." There seemed to be a resentful undertone to her voice.

Hayamichi didn't know what to say.

"But…" And Inada seemed to be shaking… in anger. She was stirring herself up again in a last-ditch effort. "Does anyone acknowledge me, huh?"

Then Inada's voice went low again.

"I'll prove that I can win."

She snorted like a bull.

Hayamichi frowned in concentration. She summoned every last ounce of energy she had and ignored the pain. She took her position to receive the serve and leveled her racquet in front of her.

"This is it," she said with feeling.

Tennis seminar of the week: You may have noticed Hayamichi doesn't play with any fancy tennis moves. This wasn't because I was a lazy author. Hayamichi is simply a character who isn't very flashy; in fact her normalcy is probably the reason why she hasn't scored a single point in the polls.

While the other characters in the story are Bishojo (Pretty girls) Hayamichi actually suffers from weight issues and is not very cute. Is that how she came across to you? Initially, the reason why I created her was to contrast her with the others so they would seem even prettier. But, recently, I've developed this little soft spot for Hayamichi. Characters like her don't seem to get enough of a voice in these types of stories…

Chapter 19: Acknowledgement

Author's note: In case you were wondering about my funny spellings at times... I use Australian English, which is different from American English. Hope that cleared things up.

Character profile of the day: (Don't worry; we're reaching the end of them now. Hayamichi is the last one to do, although I may do more for some of the opposing characters.)

Gamano Kaeru

Blood type: O

Description: Kaeru's a ninth grader but she's also the "newbie" of the team. Quiet and generally reserved, Kaeru seems to possess a great deal of talent, although nobody really knows how good she can really be. She practises hard every day so that she can stay on the regular team. Her style of tennis is suited to Doubles and when paired with Saeko, she exhibits a "Poaching" style of play, where she crosses and intercepts balls to take points early. She is in Fuji and Eiji's homeroom.

Odd Spot: Kaeru's favourite video game is Street Fighter. Her favourite character is Ryu. She has clocked the game several times with him and can use all of his moves. She also likes Ken and Chun-Li.

Ch. 19 Acknowledged

The tiebreakers' match point began.

Inada served; a blistering fast serve aimed straight at Hayamichi's body. Seemingly, Hayamichi mechanically swung her racquet and hit the return. It passed over the net; Inada ran to the ball and hit it back – and thus the rally began.

It seemed to be a battle of wills – for both girls didn't hold back. The rally grew longer: ten shots, fifteen, then twenty – and the rally still did not look like it would let up. Neither girl had the advantage.

No one watching could say anything. It was as if talking would disrupt the flow of the rally and that was unnecessary. Kyoko thought it may only, possibly, end when someone made a mistake. Inada and Hayamichi were playing too cautiously instead of hitting outright winners. Then again, it was match point.

Whose match point was it? Well…

Kyoko took her eyes off the match for a moment and glanced at the others. Saeko was biting her nails; Kagura, her lip. Mikata was frowning; Hanae, praying. Kuroki and Kaeru were calmly looking on. Ryoma had woken from his nap and watched with one half-closed eye. Asuka, Momo and Eiji were uncharacteristically silent and Fuji… well, his eyes were closed now but he wasn't smiling.

Then Kyoko looked up beyond the fence. She saw the coach of Kakkenoki – that man, Sabe Ryo – and the brain child, Kuki Kaname. Judging by the expressions on their faces, they didn't know what would happen next.

Kyoko felt adrenaline pump through her; even if she wasn't the one on the court. She could only imagine how it must feel for the two players down below. She worried about Hayamichi because she was pushing herself, but as Fuji said, it was only one more point; she hoped Hayamichi could manage it. If she did fail, Kyoko didn't know what to think. She watched as the ball went back and forth over the net and clenched her fist. She anxiously stared down at the match. If Hayamichi failed, Kyoko herself would fail too as a captain.

A strained expression briefly flickered across Hayamichi's face before she hit the ball, but the shot was very weak, a slow lob which failed to get past the service box.

"Chance ball," Momo murmured and he twitched, as if eager to hit the Dunk Smash himself. Of course, he couldn't.

Inada didn't waste a moment and began to run towards the ball. As she jumped up to smash it, she saw out of the corner of her eye that Hayamichi had fallen to her knees out of pure exhaustion. For a split second Inada seemed to hesitate, and then her countencance became set and firm before she smashed the ball with all her might. It was a perfect shot.

Hayamichi was motionless; her eyes were closed. Then abruptly, she sprang to her feet, reached out and hit the ball. Inada landed on her feet and could only watch, stunned, as the ball sailed past her and landed only inches behind the line. Inada had not recovered from her smash.

However Hayamichi had been on her knees and she had hit the winner with her eyes closed.

"Impossible… Impossible…!" Inada babbled, almost incoherently.

Suddenly, Hayamichi fell back and fainted.

Silence reigned for full five seconds afterwards. It was a stunned silence, and a stifling one.

Ryoma was the first to speak. "Hmm, not bad," he smirked.

"That was," said Kuroki slowly, "Hayamichi's match point."

"We won," said Kaeru.

That seemed to snap everyone out of their stupor.

"Oh dear," Hanae murmured, "Is Hayamichi okay? She put everything into that."

Mikata said, "She was playing on instinct alone at the end. I hope she's all right."

Down on the court, the umpire was treating Hayamichi the first aid. His hands, the girls could see, were shaking slightly. He had probably never seen anything like what had just taken place.

Meanwhile Fuji gazed down at the action below with open eyes. He chuckled.

"It's been done," he said. "There'll probably be more where that came from. Well," he shook his head, "it'll be fun, at least."

And then he walked off.

Matches at the tennis park resumed at length. Hayamichi was carted off to the nearby hospital and was told that all she needed to do was rest. Her victory over Inada was counted as a win for Seigaku and her efforts did not go unappreciated. For now, there was a tournament to win. The boys, Eiji Momo and Ryoma had announced that they were leaving. They had their own tournament to practise for.

It did feel like an anticlimax. Everyone on the team could relax now. It was like letting out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Hana-chan," said Kyoko suddenly. She turned to Hanae sharply. "During all the excitement I forgot to really ask you. What did happen that you didn't come to practice all week and turned up so late to the tournament?"

Hanae stopped smiling as she walked along. Instead, she stared glumly at her feet. She poured out the entire tale.

"I was an idiot," she said frankly. "But… I've changed now, I hope. Fuji talked to me…"

"Ah," said Kaeru suddenly. "So he did do good!" She was beaming. Kaeru was a trusting fool.

Hanae could only laugh dryly. If only the others knew the truth.

"But," Kaeru went on, with a sharp look around her, "where is he? I do not see him."

Kaeru was right. Fuji had vanished! He had slipped away during all the excitement earlier, knowing that he would probably end up facing Hanae's wrath plus the wrath of the girls' team if he stayed. What an intelligent boy he was.

Inada Makoto was alone. She went to the drink taps and drank some water. Then she sat by the fountain and looked up at the sky. It was a blank, blue sky.

Inada could not feel unsatisfied with the outcome of the match. She played her very best tennis. At the beginning her tactics had been sound and at the end, she had been the strongest she's ever been. There had been nothing wrong with her play, only that Hayamichi held better. Inada could not be dissatisfied with that. It was a strange experience, for normally victories were satisfying and defeats were not. Yet she could not begrudge Hayamichi at all. In fact, she had even hesitated in that last match for Hayamichi's sake. In the end, though, that smash stayed right on-target.

She sighed.

"Inada-san, is it?"

Inada looked up. In front of her were two people she had never seen.

"We were watching you," one of them said. "You did very well. There was an offer we wanted to make to you, if you want to take it up…"

Inada listened with a heart beating with anticipation.

At the end of the day it came as no surprise; Seigaku had won the tournament. Sabe Ryo and Kuki Kaname of Kakkenoki went home both in awe of Seigaku, for they both knew that school would represent a big problem for them in the next tournament. Hayamichi's win had been the clincher and from then on, Seigaku did not even drop a set. It simply could not have happened after the heavy sacrifice Hayamichi made.

Sacrifice it was. The doctors said Hayamichi would not be able to play another tournament for several months; probably not until the Nationals. She could train after a few weeks but the training could not be heavy, because Hayamichi's injuries had only been made worse by the strain of that epic match.

For a long time afterwards, everybody fussed over Hayamichi: "You played amazingly well on Sunday!" "Oh, I'll carry that for you!" "Wow, Hayamichi, you're great," that Hayamichi grew quite flustered with all the unaccustomed attention. "I'd rather be the forgotten player all over again!" she declared, but she probably didn't mean it.

When the spike of attention gradually decreased and Hayamichi was treated normally again, one thing, she sensed, had changed. She had been acknowledged, and now, in a little part of everyone's heart she remained and would never truly be forgotten again.

Tennis seminar of the week: It is my belief that controlled intensity is what wins tennis matches. This is the reason why Inada changed her style of tennis because playing with too much aggression caused her to burn out. So… it seems kinda contradictory how Hayamichi won in the end. I think the fact that it was match point is what makes the difference, though. According to tennis psychology (I'll go more into this later); thinking too much on match point is bad for you, so wisely, Hayamichi stopped doing it. Thus she won. Pretty simple, huh?

Next chapter: Echizen Ryoma, our favourite freshman regular, faces his toughest match yet. Will he live up to Tezuka's expectations of him? (NOT a Pillar Pair fanfic.)

By the way, Kaeru is feeling upset because even though she's the main character, none of the last story arcs have been about her. (Actually, she doesn't care, but I do because she was overtaken by Kyoko of all people on the popularity poll.)

So, we shall have a…

Random Drabble (100 words long)

Kaeru stared at the wall. She was going to play tennis. She got her things and she played. Every five or so shots, she would duck around the wall and retrieve her ball because she kept hitting it over.

Gradually, she got better.

After an hour of consecutive play, Kaeru thought, "That was a good rally. I'll hit another one like that and I'll finish."

Every time she hit a similar rally, the same thought flashed through her mind.

Three hours later…

She was still there. Saeko ended up dragging her away.

But the next day, Kaeru will be back.

Chapter 20: Seigaku's pillar

Author's note: Thank you for the reading this story so far, everyone! Good job making it to twenty chapters, huh? I'm so glad this story has been teaching people about tennis. One thing I noticed about The Prince of Tennis was that, while it certainly doesn't teach you much, it certainly motivates one to play some tennis! I would love it if my story could give you the same kind of feeling.

Character profile of the day:

Hayamichi Miyako

Blood type: AB

Description: Often the forgotten player on the girls' team, Hayamichi was injured during the ranking tournament so she is currently not on the regulars. Hayamichi is an experienced tennis player and she's quite big and strong. She's not as light as Mikata however her shots pack a heavy punch. Hayamichi plays from the centre of the court and has skill in controlling the points when she plays Singles. Off the court, Hayamichi is a pretty normal girl. She is somewhat lazy and disorganized and is late to nearly everything.

Odd Spot: Hayamichi is quite an artist and draws up until late into the night. This is the reason why she constantly oversleeps. Hayamichi never shows her drawings to anyone but one day she wants to submit her artwork into a manga competition and work for Ribon.

Ch. 20 Seigaku's pillar

The trains swept by, one after the other, their metal coverings reflecting the shine of afternoon gold. The sound of a tennis rally rose from beneath the roar of the trains as they trundled across the rails overhead.

Two boys were playing tennis. One, a short boy, who was no older than twelve and the other a bespectacled boy in his mid-teens. They were in trance with the game that they could only hear the sounds of their match and nothing else. There was this austerity in the older teen's face, almost, as if he was teaching a lesson. If it were a lesson, it'd be one without words.

The older boy played tennis with such apparent ease that the younger one looked rather weak in comparison. Whenever the older boy hit a drop shot – and timed it perfectly – the ball would not bounce. The younger boy would jerk forward but he could never reach the ball in time. The point was over; the ball rolled towards the young boy, and at last he could hear the trains hurtling by. He fell on his knees. The older boy peered down at him impassively, but not coldly.

"Echizen," he said, in a quiet, though carrying voice. "Become Seigaku's pillar of support."

Ryoma could only look up at Tezuka. His captain was too tall to look down upon.

Seishun Academy, the next day…

Freshman Ryuzaki Sakuno noticed that morning that Echizen Ryoma was acting differently from usual. Lately, he seemed to be more intense about what he was doing. She couldn't really explain it. It was as if there was a fire which had been kindled inside him. In a way, he looked happier, even though his face hadn't changed. Sakuno didn't ask him what happened but trusted Ryoma would do well at the Metros. She had faith in him.

At that moment, the boy in question was at the boy's department of tennis playing Kaidoh Kaoru in a game of Singles. When two like-minded, pigheaded individuals like Kaidoh and Echizen faced off with all their might, what one got was an intense game of Singles. Ryoma ended up blowing Kaidoh off the court, much to the admiration of the freshman trio: Horio, Kachiro and Katsuo.

"That's our Echizen!" Horio cheered, as Ryoma and Kaidoh shook hands at the net.

"He's really into it today," Kachiro remarked. "Kaidoh-sempai didn't stand a chance!"

"Maybe," said Katsuo, "it's because the Metropolitan tournament is on next Sunday."

The freshman trio all nodded at that. "Yeah!"

Kaidoh was looking more than a little disgruntled at the outcome of the match and promptly got into a fight with Momo over something or other. As for Echizen; as he walked off the court, he passed the ever-aloof Tezuka and smirked. He didn't say a word. Tezuka didn't talk either and for a moment, Ryoma thought he hadn't seen him. Then Tezuka gave a very short nod, so short that Ryoma probably wouldn't have seen it if he hadn't been standing so close. Ryoma tipped his hat and walked on.

Nobody but the keen observer would have noticed this silent exchange: "I won't lose," Echizen had said. And Tezuka had replied, "Aim as high as you can."

At the girl's tennis department…

"Kyoko-buchou's not practicing with us," Saeko said worriedly. "I wonder why…?"

It felt odd for the female regulars to be on their court with no captain. Usually, Kyoko would be with the regulars going through some excruciating training program, but today she was tutoring the younger players. Nobody except Kaeru really felt like playing tennis that morning. While Kaeru stood alone in the middle of one of the courts looking awkward, the others huddled together and stage-whispered.

"You've heard the rumours, haven't you?" Kagura glanced at each of the faces, inviting confidence.

After the consolidation tournament a few days ago, the word went around that Hayamichi had collapsed because Kyoko-buchou had pushed her too hard. She was pushing everyone too hard these days. Last year, the girls' tennis had been almost recreational; this year it wasn't.

"They're all untrue, though," Kagura insisted. "Miyako pushed herself over the edge; the captain didn't do it."

"But you have to admit," said Mikata, "Buchou has been pushing us all harder this year. Without her, we'd be nowhere."

"Who started those awful rumours?" asked Hanae with a frown.

"Buchou did," Kuroki replied promptly.

"W-WHAT?" the whole team yelled in synch. Kuroki blinked in surprise.

"Yes," she answered as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "She told me she was feeling caught up about something, that she was pushing everyone too hard because of Tezuka…"

"What about him?" asked Mikata.

Kuroki frowned. "I don't know. She seemed to think that she wasn't doing something right by him. She said that he had asked her to do something for him. 'There's something I must do before I can be a good captain,' she told me."

"And what was that?" Asuka inquired curiously.

Kuroki told them.

"This all sounds very mysterious," Hanae remarked at length. "I can't think why he'd ask her to do that."

"It's a test," Kuroki replied, cryptically.

The girls all frowned as they tried to figure it out.

Kaeru, who had been listening though not participating in the conversation, felt as if there was something she needed to ask. So she spoke.

"Who's Tezuka?"

The girls promptly fell over.

"Hey, Arai!"

Arai Masashi looked up from tying his shoelaces when a friend of his touched his arm and called out his name.

"What is it?" Arai felt somewhat disgruntled like a bear did when it was woken up. He'd overslept that morning.

His friend, a rather generic-looking boy with brown hair and brown eyes, said, "Is that your sister there?" He was pointing at a girl who was standing behind the fence. She was looking at the courts – at someone. That girl was tanned like Arai. Her hair was done up in a neat ponytail and her fringe was kept out of the way with an equally neat headband. It was Arai's sister with whom Arai had almost nothing in common.

"What's Kyoko doing here?" he wondered aloud, frowning. He didn't like it when his sister was around.

"Dude," Arai's friend whistled, "your sister's hot. Ask her out for me."

"No!" Arai snapped. His friend was disappointed. Arai ignored him and continued to glare at his sister. "I think… she's looking at Echizen," he said slowly.

"What? No way! That kid's got it all!"

"Shut up," said Arai. He sounded rather exasperated.

Inside her office, Coach Ryuzaki reveled in her moment of peace. Sure, the moment was ruined by constant phone calls, but every way she looked at it, sitting down was a lot more comfortable than being hot and sweaty outside. She honestly got tired just watching those regulars train. Sometimes, being old just wasn't fun. Today she felt that way, tomorrow she probably wouldn't.

There was a knock on her door.

"Come in," said Ryuzaki as she sat up sharply and tried to make herself look presentable.

The reporter Inoue Mamoru entered the room.

"Ah, Inoue-san, what brings you here?" Ryuzaki asked pleasantly.

"The Metros are coming up soon, aren't they?" said Inoue as he sat down in front of Ryuzaki. "I'm just checking up to see how everyone at Seigaku is doing. Shiba's out on the courts, taking photos."

"We're all doing well here," Ryuzaki said with a slight smile. "Coffee?"

"Thank you." Inoue took the brew and sipped at it gingerly. "During these past few weeks, I've been looking at some of the competition for the metropolitans. I'm surprised at how strong the other schools are."

"Yes, well…" Ryuzaki chuckled dryly. "You should never underestimate the determination of teenaged boys."

Inoue laughed as well. "You're certainly right there. Gosh, I miss my middle school days."

Ryuzaki smiled. "So do I."

Echizen Ryoma decided that he was going to drink some water. Water was good for his system. It was better than Inui Juice. Anything was better than Inui Juice, actually, although rat poison was probably around the same level. Even milk was better than Inui Juice. Not that Ryoma drank it anyway.

As he was on his way to the drink fountain, he was suddenly approached by a girl. He had never met her in his life but she looked familiar. She was probably related to some insignificant person.

She stopped him with a polite tap on his shoulder. "Echizen-kun, is it?" she said, and Ryoma looked at her. She was holding a tennis racquet and, judging by her clothes, was a regular. On the girls' team, that is. Ryoma didn't know how well the girls could play, but if Sakuno was any indication…

"Yeah, what of it?" asked Ryoma, smiling. Cockily.

The girl hesitated slightly before she spoke up. "Uh, you probably know my little brother, Masashi." Here, Ryoma gave her a blank look. "No?" the girl laughed nervously. "Well, my name's Arai Kyoko."

"Arai," said Echizen slowly. "Oh. Yeah. I know him." Arai didn't play well against little kids with wooden racquets.

"Okay, I'm going to stop stalling." The girl took a deep breath, closed her eyes, swallowed her trepidation, opened her eyes, and…

Ryoma was gone.

"H-Hey! Don't just leave me!" Kyoko fumed. "That's not fair! Wait up!" (She was having one of her mood swings.)

She caught up to Ryoma at the drinking fountain.

"There you are, Echizen-kun! You know, I'm older than you by a fair number of years. I'm the captain of the girls' team! Show some respect."

Unfortunately with Echizen, respect wasn't handed out on a platter. Respect was earned.

He threw her an annoyed "So-what-exactly-do-you-want?" look.

"I'm challenging you to a match," Kyoko answered him, glaring.

Ryoma stopped, blinked and then seemed to really look at Kyoko for the first time.

Tennis seminar of the day: And we come to my personal favorite match of the entire fanfic! Before this moment, I've carefully avoided an actual comparison between the girls and the boys. Why? Because most fics of this genre seem to place these matches at the very beginning and it seems to me like a cheap excuse to link the boys and the girls together. It's especially weird when the girls beat the boys soundly at tennis when everyone knows how insanely try-hard the boys are.

If you must know, in this fic the standard of tennis among the girls is a lot lower than the boys. See, a complete beginner like Kaeru managed to join the regulars. They aren't that good. Although, I'd say the other ninth graders are much better than the eighth graders. How Kyoko would compare to Ryoma, though… That's next chapter.

Chapter 21: The Captain of the girl's tennis club

Author's note: Here in Australia, it's Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day, Oishi! Haha, someone should write a fic about that.

Ch. 21 The captain of the girl's tennis club

Just after class, during lunch break, Tezuka asked Kyoko to play Ryoma. Kyoko was not in the same class as Tezuka; in fact, seldom, saw him around except when he was busy on the tennis courts. Sometimes, he'd walk around and watch other people play but usually he was with his team.

So she was surprised to see him outside of her classroom, standing in the hallway. He was folding his arms, obviously waiting for someone. She was sure he couldn't possible be looking for her but… Her heart thumped at the mere sight of him. She and Kuroki had been the last ones out of the classroom. Could it be…?

He turned and saw her, recognition flickering through his eyes. At least he knew her, Kyoko thought, a little bitterly. She hadn't spoken to him since he had told her off so soundly in coach Ryuzaki's office some weeks ago.

"You should have more faith in your team mates," he had said. "You cannot desert them because you feel scared."

She would rather he had forgotten her.

"Arai-san." He spoke politely, yet seemed rather distant. "There is something I need to speak to you about."

She couldn't look him in the eyes. She glanced around for Kuroki for support. Mysteriously enough, her team mate had vanished.

Probably trying to be a matchmaker, leaving me and Tezuka alone together, Kyoko thought sourly. Indeed, Kuroki was a stickybeak and would not doubt interrogate Kyoko about the circumstances once the ordeal was over.

"Yes, Tezuka?" Kyoko looked up and tried to meet his eyes. She looked fleetingly into them and then her eyes plunged towards the floor.

He asked, "Do you know Echizen?"

"Echizen? Y-Yeah…"

"I want you to challenge him."

Kyoko looked up sharply and her lips were quivering. She could not speak; her mouth was dry. What had Tezuka just asked of her?

It occurred to her that if she showed the slightest sign of hesitation, Tezuka would regret asking her at all. Firmly, she nodded her assent and said, "Sure. You're talking tennis, right?"

Tezuka nodded. Then he turned to leave. "Well then, I'll see you." And he walked off.

His expression had not changed in the slightest throughout their brief conversation, Kyoko thought. And people thought Tezuka was intimidating. She sighed. But she'd abide by him anyway, like she'd abide by her father.

And that was what she was doing, as she was gazing at Echizen expectantly, after having asked him for a match. She was doing what Tezuka had asked of her.

She would, she realized, do anything for him.

"A match," said Ryoma, smirking. "Sure. Go easy on me." Captain of the girls' team or not, Kyoko looked like one hell of a pushover.

Kaeru gazed intently at Tezuka. The captain of the boy's tennis club was nonchalantly passing by the bush Kaeru and the other female regulars were hiding behind. This was what any girl did when observing Tezuka. Many girls had "crushes" on him but he was so "intimidating" nobody ever confessed to him. He just had that specific aura about him which any clear-headed girl could sense from a mile away. Kaeru had never noticed he even existed at all, until about two minutes ago.

Hanae was elbowing Kaeru and whispering in her ear: "That's Tezuka. See?"

Tezuka suddenly stopped. He had heard whispering in the bush. Spies from other schools? The possibility swept through his mind.

Kaeru was staring. This Tezuka could not possibly be in ninth grade. He could be in university in some fancy place like Aoyama – that was how he looked. She could have mistaken him for a teacher and that was probably what she had done in the last few months, where every day she had seen him or walked past him because he played tennis as often as she did. Kaeru never remembered her teachers.

"Who's there?" Tezuka asked the bush in the tone of voice which expected an answer.

The bush quivered but there was no verbal response.

"Distract him!" Kagura hissed at Kaeru, and then all the regulars pushed the girl out of the hiding place. They figured that, since Kaeru, on top of being the bravest among them, was also the newbie of the team and could face up to the almighty Tezuka without batting an eyelid.

Tezuka watched Kaeru tumble out from behind the bush and he didn't bat an eyelid. Meanwhile, the other girls scrambled out from their hiding place and hastily made their exit. This was all clearly within Tezuka's line of vision. He didn't say anything, although he did frown ever so slightly.

"Here." He offered his hand to Kaeru, who was sprawled across the footpath, and helped her to her feet. Then he continued walking onwards without a backward glance.

The "damsel" whom the good "gentleman" Tezuka aided was about to start off towards the girls' tennis department when she noticed more people walking along the footpath she was standing on.

Two girls: one who Kaeru vaguely recognized as Sakuno, one of the freshmen of the tennis club. The other was also a freshman if height was any indication. Her thick, light brown hair was tied in two pigtails looking less like two pig tails coming out of the sides of her head and more like two ponytails. She was carrying an awkwardly sized poster tucked underneath her arm.

"Guess what?" the girl was chirping excitedly to Sakuno. "I don't have any stupid babysitting this weekend so that means I can go and see Ryoma-sama play! I made him a poster, did you see?"

"I saw it many times, Tomo-chan," Sakuno responded in an appeasing manner.

As the girls walked past Kaeru, she caught a glimpse of the poster "Tomo-chan" was clutching. It depicted a super-deformed (AKA, Chibi) boy wielding a tennis racquet and standing on the heads of other super-deformed boys of the tennis club. The caption read in English: "Good luck, Ryoma-sama!" and yes, there were four exclamation marks. Kaeru felt rather embarrassed for Ryoma.

Kaeru was hopping along in a nondescript fashion when she bumped into yet another person.

"Oh, excuse me!" It was a woman. She stopped as Kaeru stopped and considered her. "Ah, you're in the girls' tennis club. What do you know about the captain?"

"Kyoko-san?" Kaeru said, puzzled. The woman looked like some kind of photographer, for she was carrying a camera and she just Looked That Way. Her name was Shiba Saori, incidentally.

"Didn't you see?" the woman asked her. "I just saw the captain of the girls' team playing Echizen Ryoma on the courts just now."

"Oh," said Kaeru. "Okay."

Horio Satoshi was always keen on seeing Ryoma play. Most of the time, during practice, if Ryoma was playing a match with someone skilful like another regular, Horio would stop whatever he was doing and watch. No wonder Horio never improved at tennis.

Today, when he saw the competition Ryoma was faced with, he was flabbergasted.

"A girl? Echizen's facing a girl?" It was said in the same kind of tone he'd adopt if Echizen's partner was a mountain goat.

The event caused such a stir among the boys that most of them also halted their activities and craned their necks trying to get a view. Even the regulars stopped. Girls were that foreign to them. Inui was already whipping out his notebook and was scribbling faster than the Shinkansen travelled.

"This is interesting," Fuji remarked, and Kaidoh hissed.

"Who is that girl?" Kawamura asked curiously. The girl was on the right court about to receive Ryoma's serve. Ryoma was bouncing the ball with his right hand.

Arai broke in. "That's my sister. Geez, I wonder what she's doing – playing Echizen, huh?" He shook his head.

"She can't be a match for Echizen, can she?" Oishi wondered aloud. "I mean, Echizen-"

"Oh, you chauvinistic pig!"

Oishi jumped. A girl was standing with arms folded imperiously behind him. He didn't know how she got there without noticing her. The first thing he saw was that she had red hair. The next thing was that she wore the girl's team regular outfit. There were five similarly dressed girls being this particular girl; well, four girls and one boy, Oishi thought as he saw Mikata.

First, though, was the matter at hand. "C-Chauvinist?" Oishi repeated, frowning. Oishi wasn't a chauvinist. He helped pregnant ladies – how was that chauvinistic? It was the complete opposite!

"Oh," said the girl, a bit dismayed at the affronted expression on Oishi's face. "It's 'cos you were saying our captain can't win against li'l Ryoma-kun 'cos she's a girl!"

"Li'l… Ryoma-kun…" Oishi stared at the girl as if she was faintly mad. "It's not because your captain's a girl, it's because Echizen manages to defeat most of the opponents he faces."

"Well, you should know," said the girl, "that in this day and age, women are superior to men in every way. We're even given higher priority in job promotions."

"You are?" Oishi was incredulous.

Before this fascinatingly bizarre girl could continue her rant, one of the girls behind her knocked her on the head with a handy tennis racquet. "That's enough, Asuka."

As Kagura carried Asuka away, Asuka was still wailing at Oishi: "Remember my words and repent, you felon!" Oishi didn't quite know what to say.

"Oishi."

Oishi looked and saw that Tezuka was standing beside him. Now when had he gotten there? Oishi began to seriously doubt his intuitive skills.

"Yes, Tezuka?" he said to the captain.

"What's happening here?" Tezuka inquired calmly as he looked towards Kyoko and Ryoma and the hubbub surrounding them. Then he glanced at the girl's team, particularly at the drama queen Asuka, who was still playing up.

"It's very interesting," Inui remarked as he fiddled with his glasses. "It seems that the female regulars are here to support their captain, who is playing Echizen in this unofficial match."

"I didn't notice that," Momo said sarcastically.

Oishi rubbed his temples gingerly. "Tezuka… will you allow this?" he asked slowly and anxiously.

"Yes," Tezuka said simply.

He didn't expect Kyoko to play Ryoma publicly but he would condone the action. It was time to see what Echizen could do.

The wind whipped Kyoko in the face, matching her coolness as she called out to Ryoma:

"Shall we begin?"

Ryoma glanced up at the girl opposition from him. "You sure change your moods a lot," he said, not that it had anything to do with her tennis. Still, he liked stirring people up. It made matches more interesting.

He decided to play with his right hand in order to gauge his opponent's worth. With deliberation, he bounced the ball then looked up, aiming where he was going to serve. Kyoko was standing a fair distance from the service box yet still within the baseline. The perfect distance, Ryoma thought, for defense and for attack.

Maybe she wasn't half bad.

"Echizen! He's hitting the Twist Serve!" Katsuo gasped.

"Already?" Kachiro was pumped up just watching Ryoma.

A female voice behind them rang out: "Hey, guys! What's happening? There's all this commotion." It was Tomoka, and Sakuno was skipping along behind her.

Katsuo and Kachiro eagerly explained the situation.

"Oh!" Tomoka grinned. "Go, Ryoma-sama! You're the best!" She energetically waved her poster around, not that Ryoma even bothered to look her way. He was too busy doing his Twist Serve.

Sakuno piped up uncertainly. "Um… Um… Tomo-chan, I don't know who to cheer for: My captain or Ryoma-kun?"

Tomoka froze in mid-flourish. "That's a good question…!" she replied and didn't look quite sure of the answer herself.

Japanese Note: I felt compelled to explain Asuka's random rant against Oishi. The reason why Oishi reacted as he did is because Japan is still very much a patriarchal society, so while all of what Asuka was saying applies to Western countries, the same does not apply to Japan. Asuka loves America so much she considers herself half-American even though she's full-blooded Japanese. I guess a similar kind of thing occurs when anime fan girls love Japan too much.

(Oh, and if you didn't notice, I do bag fan girls a lot. There'll be more of that in later story arcs. Geh heh.)

Tennis seminar of the week: Nothing really "tennis"-y happened this week so we'll have a bonus story again. This one's set a few days after Hayamichi's match.

Bonus story

Why Kaidoh prays at every meal

Fuunare Saeko. Eighth grade. A kind-hearted girl with a sweet temper. Submissive and faithful. Perfect wife material.

Kaidoh Kaoru. Eighth grade. A hard-working boy with a gruff exterior. Hot-tempered and snake-obsessed. Unlikely to ever get a girlfriend.

Surprising, therefore, that Saeko had a major crush on Kaoru.

Consensus says:

"Oh, okay." – Gamano Kaeru.

What a friend you are, Kaeru…

The other female regulars, when they found out about Saeko's crush, were flabbergasted.

"You know, out of all the male regulars, you had to pick the most unappealing one," Asuka said.

"That's not very nice to say," Kagura retorted.

With that, they got into a catfight.

Natsumaru made some generic comment: ("Your best friend's Kaeru and your crush is Kaoru. Isn't that rather awkward?") Kuroki rambled on and on about the sweet joys of young love. Hayamichi was in hospital. Kyoko was blushing and fantasising about Tezuka for no reason.

Hanae was the most sensible.

"Why do you like him?" she asked.

Saeko discovered this fascinating captivation with the hem of her skirt and started to twirl her finger around it.

"Well, you see…" Saeko blushed. "I was walking in the park one day and I saw him – Kaidoh-kun – running by. He trains everyday. He reminds me of Grandpa, always working hard, and I admire Kaidoh-kun's spirit. I would like to help him."

As she said that the blush deepened. The dimples on her cheeks grew scarlet. She really did look rather cute.

"Well," Kagura said slowly, because she fancied that she could now see the viability of Saeko and Kaidoh as a couple. "Kaoru is in my class. I know that on some days he goes without his lunch. And you know what they say: 'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.'"

"You're aiming too high," Asuka muttered.

"What did you say, carrot top?"

"Carrot top, am I? Frenchie!"

They started cat-fighting again. Is it just the author or do they really seem like female incarnates of Momo and Kaidoh?

"It's a good idea," Saeko said meanwhile. "I should… make Kaidoh-kun lunch." The Shojo implications hit her: Omigosh Sailor Moon! Omigosh Fruits Basket! Omigosh Fushigi Yugi!

"I," Saeko vowed firmly, "will make the perfect lunch for Kaidoh-kun!"

And at that moment, she looked so determined she was almost a female Kaidoh! Almost.

The next day, Kaeru forgot her lunch. "Oh, have mine!" Saeko insisted at once. Not only had she made Kaidoh's lunch as she had vowed, she was so proud of her cooking that she had made an extra bentou.

"Thank you," Kaeru murmured in a surprisingly non-callous voice. Saeko didn't hear it. She was already invisible among the thick crowd of students waiting in line at the cafeteria.

Kaeru decided she had better sit down so she could eat. She saw Kagura sitting on her own and sat down opposite her. Kagura looked up and smiled. She was smiling a lot more these days, now that Kaeru thought about it.

"Your lunch looks good," she commented.

It did. It was more plainly wrapped than the one intended for Kaidoh, but Kaeru could still see the effort and devotion Saeko had put in it. What a cute young lass.

Kaeru opened up the bentou and eagerly took up her chopsticks. She paused a moment and then swallowed a mouthful.

Her eyes suddenly went wide and the chopsticks clattered on the floor. "What's wrong?" Kagura asked anxiously.

Kaeru swallowed. "Kaidoh's in danger."

Then she ran off.

"W-What?" Kagura thought she hadn't heard correctly. But Kaeru was already gone. The bentou was still lying nonchalantly on the table, barely touched. Kagura gingerly scooped up some of the sushi and nibbled on it.

She promptly spat it out.

"What is this? It's like solid Inui Juice! Kaeru has no luck with food at all! Blergh!"

Oblivious to the horribleness of her cooking, Saeko bashfully presented Kaidoh with her bentou. "I hope you like it, Kaidoh-kun…" she said in a soft whisper.

Kaidoh, believe it or not, was blushing as much as Saeko was. The scene would have been cute had not Kaidoh started running off to the nearest toilet the moment he took a bite. Even Kaidoh couldn't handle it! Kaidoh!

"Kaidoh!" Kaeru dashed into the action, bellowing at the top of her lungs.

See? Saeko's cooking is so rancid it makes people act really Out-Of-Character.

"Kaeru-chan?" Saeko was confused. Her friend looked almost… scared…

"Where's Kaidoh?" Kaeru demanded sharply.

"He… He went to the toilet after he ate my cooking," Saeko gasped.

Everything suddenly made sense.

Saeko said slowly, "It didn't taste good." It wasn't a question.

"It was crap."

Saeko burst into tears.

"You mistook sugar for salt and vinegar for spices," Kaeru explained. "Also, you forgot to taste your cooking afterwards."

What a friend you are, Kaeru…

A few notable things came from this event. On Kaeru's suggestion, Saeko began to take cooking classes and after a few weeks, there was a marked improvement in her cooking. It went from 'Aozu' level to 'regular Inui Juice' level. Saeko still doesn't cook for others if she can help it, though.

Kaidoh has never forgotten to pack his own lunch after that fateful occasion. Now that he understands the meaning of good food he is very grateful for it and prays before he eats. He gets very resentful at Momo, who just shovels food down his throat. Kaidoh considers sending Momo to Saeko sometimes (or the chick with the horrible cooking, as he remembers her) but he's too nice a guy to openly make fun of a girl. Maybe one day he will get a girlfriend. Good luck, Kaidoh!

Chapter 22: The Kunoichi

Author's note: Thanks to Maddery who reviewed last chapter. The whole thing about Kaidoh not being able to get a girlfriend a joke. He probably will get one one day, hahaha. Please don't take my explanations as 'canon' at all. I know there is no way it could possibly be the real explanation. Just getting that out of the way. XD.

Ch. 22 The Kunoichi

"Ah, here we are!" Shiba announced cheerfully as she and Kaeru arrived at the boys' tennis courts. "See, your captain's playing." She promptly whipped out her camera and began snapping away as she remarked, "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen the girls play tennis."

Kaeru gazed vacantly at Kyoko and Ryoma's rally. Kyoko had managed to return Ryoma's Twist Serve on the very first try, albeit with some difficulty; and the ensuing rally was intense. Kyoko had a physical advantage over Ryoma like his other sempais: she was taller and stronger even if she was a girl. No doubt the freshman would quickly catch up once he hit his growth spurt. That couldn't happen halfway through a tennis match, no matter how awesome Ryoma was. Instead, he'd have to find another way to overcome Kaeru's captain.

"They're both good," Kaeru commented and then fell silent.

Kyoko uttered a soft, barely audible grunt as she returned one of Ryoma's balls. The latter hit the ball surprisingly hard for a little fellow – and he was still playing right-handed. Kyoko, not to be outdone, returned his shot with matching vigour and aimed it precisely for Ryoma's left-hand corner. Surely he could not return her shot with his backhand.

Ryoma took off from his right foot and dashed towards the ball. The one-legged Split Step! Kyoko realised with a start. The move was purely Ryoma's own. Still – her lip curled – the ball was just beyond his reach. Her shot was still a winner.

"It's not!" Ryoma suddenly barked into the wind, hurling the words at her face. He rapidly changed hands on his racquet, then leaned over… and returned the ball with his forehand.

"Damn it!" Kyoko cursed inwardly. She had underestimated Echizen's ambidextrous reach. As she recalled, he had pulled the same move on Fudomine's Shinji. She wouldn't be winning any cheap points against Echizen, although she had known that from the beginning. He was an all-rounder, just like Tezuka was.

The rally continued. Ryoma played with his left hand now, and control of the rally seemed to be his. Kyoko retreated further and further from the baseline as Ryoma sent her sliding from corner to corner. They were playing Fetch.

And then, as Ryoma was steadily asserting himself more and more into the centre of the court, Kyoko abruptly stepped forward and belted the ball down the line. It bypassed Echizen on his right and he evidently hadn't seen it coming. An obstinate expression crossed his face as he realised that he had lost the point.

"Love fifteen."

The crowd was murmuring with interest. "Wow, that girl is good!" "She just hit that winner out of nowhere!" "Did you see that?"

Meanwhile, Arai was shaking his head gruffly.

"That's my sister. It's why they call her the Kunoichi." He couldn't help but be a little proud of her.

"Kunoichi?" Momo repeated, confused. "You mean… female ninjas?"

"Ninjas!" Eiji gasped. "Cool!"

The members of the girls' team all nodded and beamed at their captain's prowess.

"I didn't know she's called the Kunoichi," Saeko remarked.

"That's what she was called at the Junior All Stars Tennis Camp last year," Hanae explained. "You see, she's like a ninja: she hides in the shadows and lulls her opponents into a false sense of security through her defensive play. However, she can turn any rally around just like that."

Mikata said, "She's frightening to play."

Kagura mused, "I wonder what data Sadaharu has on her."

(The answer to that question was one of the first four letters of the alphabet. Inui could measure things just through his eyes, which showed what a great data man he was.)

On the court, the match went on. Ryoma won the first game and Kyoko took the second. They were so evenly matched; their skills were of such fine calibre that all the games were won on serve. Sometimes, Kyoko would go for the winner and would succeed against a normal opponent, but Ryoma was not a normal opponent. As soon as she hit the ball, he was already running. When he hit the return, his strength matched hers. The pace became so quick that anyone watching from the side would have to constantly turn his head – left then right then left again – without a break at all.

"I just get so tired watching them!" Kachiroh said incredulously.

"Amen to that!" Katsuo declared.

By this time, Sakuno and Tomoka had solved their 'Who do I cheer for?' dilemma by supporting both players at the same time.

"Whoo! Go, Ryoma-sama!"

"Kyoko-buchou, you can do it!"

Horio, who was standing next to them, winced as the unnecessary sound. Next to Horio was Shiba, who was snapping away at her camera with eye-popping speed. She took pictures of Ryoma serving, Kyoko on her backhand follow-through, Ryoma jumping for a smash, Kyoko reflex-volleying at the net. Then Shiba stopped, put down the camera and sighed. "The pictures are too blurry," she moaned. "They're moving too fast."

"They both need to slow down pace," Kaeru said simply. Those two couldn't play high-intensity forever. Whoever slowed down first would get their backside handed to them, she thought.

"Idiots," Kaidoh muttered in his usual gruff manner.

"Both of them are just really stubborn," Hanae muttered. "They won't budge and inch."

Kuroki remarked, "They both have the looks of an inspired person. You can see it in their eyes." She smiled. "They're both… motivated… because of Tezuka, I think."

"Ha!" Asuka grinned. "It's L-O-V-E!"

The other girls stared at her. "Ryoma is not gay for Tezuka!" they all felt like screaming.

Asuka winked. "Ah, but if he was gay…!"

"Just shut up," Mikata growled.

Oishi was listening. Not to the gay part particularly, but he was listening. Now he turned his head back to the match, heard Ryoma's pounding footsteps as he dashed around the court, and he almost heard trains.

"Echizen, become Seigaku's pillar of support."

Of course, this was what the current match was about. Tezuka had shown an interest in young Ryoma. He had said Ryoma's tennis was a copy of his father's. He had risked his elbow's recovery in making sure that Ryoma took the first steps, however tiny, in overcoming Nanjiroh. That had taken place a while ago and now nobody really knew exactly how high Ryoma would aim. That was why… Tezuka must have asked someone who did not know Ryoma to challenge him and compel him to aim higher. That someone was Kyoko.

"How does that girl know Tezuka?" Oishi asked the girls. "Are they…" He started blushing. So Oishi-like.

"It's nothing like that," Hanae answered with a laugh. "To be honest, she's known him since seventh grade…"

At that time, Seigaku was well-known for its tennis program, even though the boys hadn't gotten past prefectural level in the past few years. Seishun's reputation had become the way it was because a former student – who had to be middle-aged now - had reputedly never lost a single match. Since then, Seigaku was regarded as a school to be feared and either the boys were doing well or the girls were.

Then, two years ago, Tezuka joined the tennis team. His skills were so vastly superior to his seniors that he bested them all soundly. In that way, he attracted a lot of undue attention to himself. There were two girls who liked to watch him through the fence. They always came to his matches; he knew them vaguely but never really spoke to them: Arai Kyoko and Hanae Koyumi.

The two girls were very into tennis themselves. Hanae had played for years and was actually more interested in improving her own skills. Kyoko, however, was smitten with Tezuka, and Hanae went along because she didn't like to imagine such a shy and pretty girl all alone amongst so many rough-and-tumble boys. No matter how many times Hanae tried to talk Kyoko out of it. ("Tezuka probably has cooties, you know!") Kyoko still went along anyway.

"Tezuka… with cooties?"

"Shut up. I was prepubescent back then. Leave me alone."

"Whatever. Just continue."

Then one day, the 'Elbow Incident' occurred, changing the lives of Tezuka and Kyoko forever.

Kyoko hadn't been there when it happened but afterwards she noticed the subtle degeneration of Tezuka's game. Constant observation had made the young girl sensitive to the every nuance of Tezuka's style; although he never showed it, his elbow pained him. As the weeks wore on, it grew worse, though never noticeably so. He worried her.

She bore the anxiety got a while until finally she voiced her concern.

"Tezuka-kun, your elbow… Is your left arm all right?"

"I'm fine," he told her.

"No…" She frowned. "Something happened, right?"

"I appreciate your concern but it's nothing for you to worry about."

He was very polite but also very cold. Maybe he didn't need her at all.

Kyoko was bashful and reticent but at that moment, she overcame her shyness momentarily.

"It is something for me to worry about! Because… Because… I love you!"

"Oooh, she set herself up for a fall."

"Be quiet, Toriyama. You just killed the drama."

Oishi was blushing. "What happened next?" he inquired.

Hanae shrugged. "What do you think? He rejected her, obviously. She told me that later. She wasn't heartbroken, but she hasn't had eyes for anyone else since. The rejection gave her a resolve to get better and to prove herself to Tezuka. She improved so rapidly, she surpassed me, the number one female player, within eighteen months." Hanae laughed bitterly. "Of course, I was starting to get worse at that time too."

"Hmm…" Oishi considered. "But Tezuka asked her to play Echizen, so he must have acknowledged her." He glanced in Tezuka's direction sharply.

Kuroki smiled enigmatically. "Tezuka, I believe, has no time for frivolities. However, if there is anyone who can recognise a person's great potential, it is him."

"He sounds like a good guy," Kagura remarked with a small smile.

Mikata snorted. "You know what I think? I think Echizen and Kyoko-buchou are fighting for Tezuka's approval. Kinda like: 'Look at me! Look at me! Aren't I great?' Otherwise, they wouldn't be playing each other."

"I guess you're right," Saeko said after a moment's consideration.

Meanwhile, the present match continued…

The score was 3-3, break point. If Ryoma broke Kyoko he'd probably go on to win the match.

She'll probably play this point cautiously, he thought. That's when I can move in.

Before she tossed the ball into the air, Kyoko began to mutter to herself. She pointed her racquet to Ryoma's service box and squinted along the side of it. She was aiming where she was going to serve.

That was a beginner's mannerism - Kaeru's, to be precise.

Kaeru frowned and tightened her grip on the fence. There was no way. Kyoko wouldn't -

Kyoko served-and-volleyed. She was using Kaeru's tactics!

Ryoma was running to the net at the same time Kyoko was. He was completely taken aback by her tactics and tried for a passing shot. With instantaneous reflexes, Kyoko darted to the side and volleyed the shot. Ryoma quickly returned it.

"I can't believe it!" Eiji yelled. "She's really good at the net!" If there was any part of a player's game that was under-practised it was the net play.

Fortunately, that wasn't the case with Ryoma. He knew what to do when at the net. He couldn't lob his opponent because she was too tall, so he'd have to resort to a strong shot towards her backhand.

Quickly!

Ryoma hit the shot. Kyoko reacted promptly. She gripped her racquet suddenly with both hands, brought it to ball, suddenly stopped her racquet speed as the ball hugged the strings and then flicked the shot past Ryoma.

It was the Aikido Return. Saeko's signature move.

"Ah." Saeko could say nothing.

Kyoko straightened up and smiled in satisfaction. "I'm here to represent the girl's tennis team."

What Ryoma didn't know was that she wasn't playing full-out yet. In fact, she was only just getting started.

It's almost time, she was thinking as she easily returned Ryoma's shot. Time to turn this match around.

Echizen Ryoma was going down.

Tennis seminar of the week: Ryoma's moves. Right. Since chapter is set between episodes 26 and 27, this far in the timeline, Ryoma doesn't know all of his moves. He's also not at his highest level of skill. Ryoma is a pokemon. He evolves. Okay, sorry, I'm rambling. Heh.

To get to the point, Ryoma's moves in this story are: Twist Serve (I was very tempted to call it Kick Serve like it is in the dub but… nah… I already confused you with Metropolitan Tournament instead of Tokyo Prefectural), Two Swords Style, Twist Serve Smash. And… that's it. Only three moves so far, I think. He's not as creative as Fuji…

Chapter 23: Feint Attack

Author's note: Consider this your average Ryoma match. Don't question the plausibility of Kyoko's crazy move. Please.

Also, this chapter had so many typos, I don't even feel like celebrating the fact this is now my longest fic ever.

Last time...

Kyoko straightened up and smiled in satisfaction. "I'm here to represent the girl's tennis team."

What Ryoma didn't know was that she wasn't playing full-out yet. In fact, she was only just getting started.

It's almost time, she was thinking as she easily returned Ryoma's shot. Time to turn this match around.

Echizen Ryoma was going down.

Ch. 23 Feint Attack

Kyoko stepped forward and prepared for her shot. She felt it was time to hit that technique – that shot of hers that was almost nonreturnable.

When the ball came towards her, she stepped backwards and sliced it on the forehand side. It looked like such an awkward shot, for she was on her back foot. However, Kyoko was smiling.

"Oh!" Kaeru exclaimed suddenly. She perceived something. "It's a trap!"

Shiba glanced at her, confused. "Huh?"

On the court, Ryoma made for the ball. He got there just as it was about to bounce. He was about to swing his racquet when his sharp eyes caught something.

The ball wasn't there! It was to his right – the direction from which he had come from! How did it get there? He had seen the trajectory of the ball. It couldn't...

But it did. The ball bounced at ankle level, and then it bounced again.

It was now break point against Ryoma. He turned to Kyoko, tilted his fila cap upward with a slight motion of his hand. His eyes bored into hers and she simply stared defiantly back. There was definitely something up with her. That had been no ordinary shot. The feint... and then the odd bounce... Both were unorthodox. Was he now looking at his opponent's true power?

Meanwhile the onlookers were baffled. They didn't understand why Ryoma had run in the completely wrong direction when the ball had been coming straight at him.

"Was Echizen out of his mind?" Momo pulled a face.

Eiji shook his head. "It was a feint. I saw... another ball, and O'chibi chased that."

"Of course," said Inui. "That was a feint attack. It must only work against players with sharp eyes."

"But... But..." Kawamura spluttered. "What about that low bounce?"

Fuji smiled at him. "You'd just have to keep your eye on the ball."

Kawamura scratched his head. Now that was a puzzle he had ever heard one. You'd have to have sharp eyes to predict the bounce but then you'd fall for the feint. You lost out either way.

As he was thinking that he heard the ball bounce again on the court. There was no answering return.

Silence... then...

"Game to Arai – four fames to three."

That girl had broken Echizen. For the first time, Kawamura considered the possibility of Ryoma losing.

It couldn't happen, could it?

Meanwhile, Tezuka impassively gazed on.

Kyoko shot to a lead in the next game, racing ahead to 30-0. She noted Echizen's struggle out of the corner of her eye. It was difficult for him to predict her shots. There was the feint, which already split his chance in two. Then there was the bounce of the ball, which Kyoko, through subtle variation of her wrist movement, could render high as a topspin and low as a backspin. This was her fine-control spin technique: if she hit the ball just slightly out of time, it would go way out of boundaries. This happened once on Kyoko's service point. Ryoma returned the serve and Kyoko hit her forehand, The ball suddenly flew high into the air and over the fence. It then landed on Horio's head.

"OUCH!"

Play resumed at length and the incident never repeated itself. Kyoko extended her lead to 5-3. She appeared calm and controlled, careful not to let her guard slip.

Yudan sezu ni ikou. Don't let your guard down. She repeated Tezuka's words as a mantra to herself.

She was feeling uneasy. On the previous point, Ryoma had not looked at the ball at her – feint ball or otherwise. He had just looked at her. His feet moved and he got to the ball and hit it. The ball went into the net.

"Didn't get the spin right," she heard him mutter.

There was only one more game, and then Ryoma would lose.

Arai Masashi, Kyoko's brother, was feeling gleeful.

"That's got to be the biggest humiliation there is, losing to a girl," he snickered. It was about time Echizen got humiliated, he thought. Now was one of those rare occasions when Arai consciously loved his sister.

"I have figured out a counter to her feint attack," Inui announced suddenly, snapping Arai out of his pleasant musings.

"What?" Arai demanded loudly. "What is it?" What a deadpan, he thought.

Inui very importantly pushed his glasses up his nose. "There are subtle movements in," he coughed, "female Arai's shots which indicate where she will hit the ball and how much spin she will put on it. She changes her racquet face fifteen degrees downwards to hit the low bounce and switches to eighteen degrees upward to hit the high bounce. Judging by Echizen's positioning on the court when he goes for the feint ball instead of the real one, the feint ball is at a forty-five degree perpendicular to Arai and is never more than a meter away from the real ball."

Silence. No one got a word of that.

Finally, Kaidoh said, "Your data tennis is as effective as ever, senpai."

Inui twiddled with his glasses. "Data doesn't lie."

"But Echizen doesn't play data tennis," Momo interjected, exasperated.

At the Echizen household...

The glare of the only television in the house caught Nanako's eye as she was cleaning the living room. She was sure it hadn't been on earlier. She knelt down to turn off the television.

"Hey, don't do that! I was watching it!"

Echizen Nanjiroh shuffled into the room from the direction of the toilet. He was scratching his back.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Nanako stood up and moved away. Nanjiroh slouched on the couch. Nanako glanced at the screen. "Oh, it's the tennis!"

"Yeah," Nanjiroh grunted. "Women's final, Barcelona."

"I didn't know you watched women's tennis, uncle," Nanako remarked. "I thought it was very different from men's tennis. Slower." She glanced at the screen.

Nanjiroh was smiling. He didn't mind women's tennis at all. His smile only broadened when the screen showed a close up of Anna Kournikova's posterior as she returned a tricky serve. (Kournikova would later quit tennis to become a model.)

Nanako didn't notice what was going on and blithely said, "Say, uncle, I have a question."

"Yeah?" Nanjiroh relinquished his gaze from the television momentarily. Unfortunately, Kournikova's opponent did not have the potential to become a model after tennis, to put it mildly.

Nanako said, "I always wondered why you called yourself 'Samurai Nanjiroh.'"

"It sounded cool."

"Yes, but..." Nanako scratched her chin. "Aren't samurais supposed to be honorable?"

"Are you implying something, my dear niece?"

Nanako noticed her uncle's eyebrows were twitching and wisely stopped pursuing the matter any further.

Nanjiroh leaned forward and scrutinised the tennis with eagerness. Kournikova's skirt was flapping up in the wind as she followed through a particularly impressive smash. Women's tennis certainly was spectacular.

Meanwhile, at Seigaku's tennis courts, the match between the Kunoichi and the Samurai Jr. continued. Kyoko was certainly no Kournikova but she was still holding her own against Ryoma. The girls loved it.

"It's almost match point! Go, Kyoko-buchou! The Kunoichi!"

Hanae said nothing. The captain, she noticed, was sweating profusely. This was strange because Ryoma was not making her run at all.

It's the pressure, Hanae though suddenly.

"You know what's funny about women's tennis?" Ryoma piped up then, just as he was about to start serving.

"What?" Kyoko asked.

"In women's tennis," Ryoma said, smirking, "you succeed in breaking serve more often. But it's also harder to hold your own serve, don't you agree?"

He was trying to psyche her out. "You..." Kyoko answered through gritted teeth.

Saeko frowned. "Is that true?" she asked the closest person to her, Mikata.

Mikata replied, "The woman's serve is generally not as fast as the man's, so it's easier to break." Mikata's own serve was almost two hundred kilometers per hour but that was the exception, not the norm, and everyone knew it.

On court, Ryoma served a Twist Serve. Kyoko returned it. Ryoma hit the ball cross-court. Kyoko then hit a feint attack off that.

Ryoma returned it.

"He did it!" the freshman trio gasped in unison.

Kyoko frowned. She hit another feint attack, this time a topspin towards the backhand corner. Ryoma returned that too. He hit it past her.

"Game to Ryoma. Match score five games to four."

At last, Ryoma opened his mouth and spoke his famous words.

"Mada mada da ne." Then he added, "You want to try serving for the match?"

Tennis seminar of the week: Basically, my knowledge of timeline is screwy so I'm not sure if Kournikova was playing during The Prince of Tennis. I don't think it really matters anywho. Today, I want to talk about spin. The backspin, also known as the slice, is caused by hitting the bottom of the ball in a slicing motion. The ball should bounce lower and will go either left or right, depending on which side you hit it. This is Tezuka's favorite shot off the backhand.

Topspin is generated by hitting over the top of the ball. The ball should go somewhat slower than a flat shot (a ball without any spin). The ball lands shorter and bounces higher, which makes it a safe shot to play. Basically, the Snake Shot is a fancy name for Crapload of Topspin.

Next chapter: The match between Ryoma and Kyoko comes to its thrilling climax! Ryoma has seen through the Kunoichi's feint attack, but will Kyoko's incredible determination still win her the match?

Chapter 24: Kyoko's determination and Echizen's Will

Author's note: Because it seems as if there are some CanonOC fans reading this story, I will allow for a teeny weeny bit of romance, just to lighten up the mood a little. However, by no means is this going to become a 'fluff fest', so to speak.

Last time...

On court, Ryoma served a Twist Serve. Kyoko returned it. Ryoma hit the ball cross-court. Kyoko then hit a feint attack of that.

Ryoma returned it.

"He did it!" the freshman trio gasped in unison.

Kyoko frowned. She hit another feint attack, this time a topspin towards the backhand corner. Ryoma returned that too. He hit it past her.

"Game to Ryoma. Match score five games to four."

At last, Ryoma opened his mouth and spoke his famous words.

"Mada mada da ne." Then he added, "You want to try serving for the match?"

Ch. 24 Kyoko's determination and Echizen's will

"If I may ask," Kyoko asked Ryoma as he tossed the ball to her, "how did you see through my move?"

Ryoma tilted his cup upward and looked Kyoko straight in the eye. He explained, "You can't hit the ball the same way for it to bounce differently. When you hit the ball over the fence, that just proved it." He lowered his cap and walked into position. "It's your serve."

He may not have been Inui but he had figured out the counter to her shots by playing her only once. Still, he didn't need to look so smug about it. She wasn't going to let his cockiness get the better of her, though.

He was right about one thing, however. It was an easier task to break her. Her serve wasn't fast, not much faster than his – and he hadn't even reached his growth spurt. She hastily cleared her mind of thoughts as she started to bounce the ball. The time for tricks had passed. It was now a fight to the finish.

She remembered when Tezuka had rejected her. He probably didn't remember it any more but for her it was like yesterday.

"I apoligse;" he had said, "I cannot reciprocate your feelings."

What kind of twelve-year-old rejected people that way? Sometimes, when she thought about it, she laughed.

She knew she could never be with him.

She longed, more than anything, for his respect. With that, perhaps, she would gain the confidence to lead Seigaku to Nationals. The only thing stopping her was herself, and she knew it.

"Ah!" Hanae exclaimed. "Something has changed with Kyoko-buchou. Look."

It was halfway through the rally. Kyoko was running to every ball, hitting them all with every ounce of strength. It was as if she could no longer see Ryoma, only the ball in front of her.

"It's almost as if she's playing herself," Mikata mused.

Saeko's mouth was dry. This was the mastering of the self. This was a tennis Saeko could not play. She remembered the poem her grandfather had told her:

"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and meet those two imposters just the same"...

"I wonder..." Kuroki broke in suddenly, "whose will is stronger: Kyoko-buchou's determination or Echizen's will to go higher. That's what it's come down to now."

The two players in question were both playing all out now, and the pace was quicker than ever before.

"This is tennis," Kaeru breathed. She could tell Kyoko and Ryoma were enjoying themselves immensely, not just from the their expressions but that they could simply not pull out – not even if they wanted to. Kaeru wished she could play tennis like that.

In the end, she suspected, it wasn't the outcome that mattered but the fact that the struggle had taken place. Both players were pushed to their limits and forced to grow. Ryoma had a hard task ahead of him breaking Kyoko's serve – not once but twice. Kyoko was pushed too, for no one had ever broken her Feint Attack.

This was precisely the outcome Tezuka had foreseen.

"Game and set to Echizen, 7-6!"

It was over. Kyoko slumped to the ground, defeated and utterly weary. The last rally had been the longest – the score had been 10-9, Ryoma's way. It had been anyone's game. She didn't feel defeated; she was too exhausted to recognise that the younger boy had triumphed. It was one of those things: If she played her best, she could beat him, but if he played his best, no one could beat him. That was what separated the two of them.

"You're good," she gasped to a panting Ryoma. "Maybe we should play again sometime."

"Maybe," the boy replied as he casually slung his racquet over his shoulder. "Mada mada da ne, Mood Swings-san."

Oh, so that was the nickname he had coined for her.

"Why, you...! I'm your senpai, Echizen-kun!"

Funny though. She didn't feel mad at all.

Her smile faltered when she spotted Tezuka coming towards her. He stopped next to Ryoma and looked rather tall to the girl who was on her knees.

"You did well," he said with a curt nod.

For the first time since the match had ended, Kyoko felt regret. Tezuka had to be talking to Echizen, who had done better in his eyes. Her eyes stung a little. Forcefully, she blinked.

"Both of you," Tezuka continued solemnly.

For some reason, Kyoko felt really happy.

Horio said in the days that followed that of course Echizen would win. Ryoma would never lose to a girl! None of the boys teased or confronted Kyoko about the match, thank goodness. If she had won, it might have been a different story. Everybody lost to Ryoma, except for maybe Fuji and Tezuka. The tale was fantastic enough to earn the captain of the girl's team some place of respect among the boys and was credible enough to be soon forgotten. That Kyoko could rally with the likes of Ryoma suddenly brought new attention to the girl's team: Shiba did a long photographing session with the girls and there was an article in the Monthly Tennis Magazine about them, for once. One boy, a ninth grader who was a non-regular, mustered the courage to ask Kyoko on a date. She rejected him.

Kyoko changed after that match. Suddenly, it was as if she stood straighter and with more confidence. She became very focused and trained the regular team harder than ever. Mikata complained that she was becoming a 'female Tezuka.' The non-regulars of the female tennis club were also vindictive and the rumours surrounding the captain became more vicious than ever: Kyoko was becoming full of herself, especially for challenging Echizen! Good thing she had lost. For their information, Kyoko didn't care. As long as they got past the next tournament, which would thus assure the team a place in the Kantou tournament, she was happy.

For the boys, the coming of the next tournament was also a source of inspiration and motivation. The fire in Echizen's game refused to dim, or even to flicker. "I'm aiming higher," he said. "Much higher."

The others were equally pumped up.

"Ne, Tezuka," Fuji said to his friend, "This is the way it's supposed to be."

"Of course," Tezuka responded. "This is no time to let our guard down. Any distractions could prove dangerous."

"For Nationals," Kawamura said solemnly. The others looked at the normally quiet spoken boy. Then they looked at Tezuka.

He nodded.

The boys raised their arms invigoratingly and repeated Takashi's words, much louder:

"FOR NATIONALS!"

Omake: "Is this romance I espy?" OOC Warning!

It was after school, and Oishi and Tezuka were walking past the vacated tennis courts. They had stayed behind to work out some of their tactics for tomorrow. It was a last-minute thing, and they just wanted to make it completely certain what they were going to do the next day.

Ironically enough, Kyoko and Hanae had a similar idea. So as the four were all leaving the club, coincidentally all at the same time, they all ended up bumping into each other.

"Oh, oh! Tezuka-kun!" Kyoko stuttered. For some reason, she had slipped into her freshman dialect. Even her voice got slightly higher. Her books (filled with tennis tactics and notes) had fallen to the ground at Tezuka's feet. He picked it up.

"Here." He handed the fallen books to Kyoko. She beamed.

"Thank you!"

Meanwhile, Hanae and Oishi just stared from the background.

"Is this romance I espy?" Hanae wondered aloud.

"I'm not sure," Oishi said slowly. "I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Well..." Oishi thought about it. "He just picked up her books for her. Now they're going separate ways. See?"

"Yes, but...!" Hanae, looking flustered, glanced around harriedly. "You see, when a girl has interaction with Tezuka, it just means that they're going to get together. You have no understanding of fangirl logic."

Oishi just scratched his head.

"But the exact same scene with Tezuka helping the girl to her feet happened in chapter 21. Does this mean Kaeru is also Tezuka's love interest?"

There was silence for a moment.

"You know what?" Hanae said finally. "I think the author's just screwing with us."

"Why are we talking like this?" Oishi asked. "We're breaking the fourth barrier. Doesn't that kill the plausibility of a story?"

Hanae shook her head wisely. "Plot hole, my friend, plot hole. Plus, this is just an unfunny filler, the type of which was defined by Naruto."

"I see..." said Oishi. "I think we should get back to the main story some time, huh?"

"Probably. So okay, here goes!" Hanae cleared her throat and 'hmmed' importantly. "Next chapter! What's this? Natsumaru's got a new haircut? Plus, we're meeting the female Hyotei regulars too... Look forward to it!"

Oishi asked, "Why is Natsumaru's haircut so important?"

"Because it will always attract more girls than any haircut you will ever devise, Syuichiroh, my friend."

Oishi heard that and was sad.

Chapter 25: Everybody loves Atobe

Author's note: In case you ever get confused, there's a profile of the new Original Characters introduced this chapter. You can always come back to this if you forget their names. I'm not introducing them all at once, though.

The female Hyotei regulars:

Ono Yui: 9th grade, blood type B

Kamido Suma: 8th grade, blood type O

Jorage Migi: 8th grade, blood type AB

Jorage Hidari: 8th grade, blood type AB

Minamino Usagi: 9th grade, blood type A

Yamada "Gonzales" Tatsuya: 9th grade, blood type B

Akito Tsukiko: 9th grade, blood type A

Ch. 25 Everybody loves Atobe

Asuka was reading the Monthly Tennis Magazine. When she heard that there was an article about Seigaku's girls' team in the latest issue, she bought the magazine to see what it was about. She was disappointed. There was only a tiny blurb about them, and most of the magazine was a feature piece on another school in their area called Hyotei.

"Look at this guy's ugly mug," Asuka scowled as she pointed at the numerous pictures of Hyotei's captain which took up nearly all the space allotted for the Seigaku girls. "I don't even know him and I hate him."

Kagura glanced at the page. "Oh, that's Atobe Keigo," she said. "He's not that bad-looking."

"Oh, interested in him, are you?" When Kagura didn't reply, Asuka rolled her eyes. "Bet he's got a girlfriend. Bad luck for you, Frenchie."

"Actually," Hanae piped up, "Atobe doesn't have a girlfriend. He's Hyotei's most eligible bachelor, so I've heard."

Asuka's eyes twitched. Kuroki looked at Atobe's picture and frowned in disapproval. "Living like a bachelor in middle school! What's this world coming to?"

Kagura thought of Natsumaru. Natsumaru was much worse than Atobe, and more handsome too, creepily enough. Which reminded her...

"Where is he – I mean she?" Disgruntled, Kagura glanced around the park. There was no Natsumaru in sight.

"You'd think after the after the whole fiasco last time we'd all turn up in time for registration," Asuka groaned. "But noooooo."

It was the morning of the Metrpolitan tournament in downtown Tokyo. It was a perfectly good day and the female Seigaku team was gathered together at the registration office. They were all standing there, except for Mikata Natsu.

Amid sighs of exasperation all round, Hanae shrugged. At least it wasn't her fault – er, Fuji's fault this time.

As time had passed, she and Fuji had gradually come to the perfect living arrangement: they would ignore each other utterly, even though they took the same bus, went to the same school, and were in the same class. This was not a temporary arrangement, the type one finds in school romance fiction. But it was really that permanent either: sometimes, they'd look at each other and smile pleasantly, upon which icicles would start to form from the ceiling. I would find it very amusing if you get mauled by hungry bears or if you are shot repeatedly by an AK-47, their smiles would say. What a happy relationship.

Their incident did, of course, serve one admonition, which Hanae herself presently discovered.

"As Team Manager," the enigmatic ninth grade regular Kuroki Shizuka began, "I decided to take a precaution in case lateness should occur. I present this." She pulled a small object out of her bag.

Hanae peered at it. "A cell phone. So you're going to ring Natsumaru up."

"Indeed." Kuroki nodded.

There was silence for a whole minute.

"So..." Hanae began to prompt, "Aren't you going to use it?"

Kuroki awkwardly pressed a few buttons and muttered dejectedly, "I don't understand theese technological doovalackies."

The other regulars pulled faces. Kuroki was so obviously an octogenerian.

"Here, give it to me," Hanae began. She was, after all, the queen of texting.

Saeko exclaimed suddenly, "Oh, wait! I can see Natsumaru coming!"

Kuroki looked up. "Oh dear!" she interposed, abashed. "Look at that haircut."

Not only was Natsumaru's hair a stylish grey, it was combed and gelled in a very becoming way – for a boy. Kaeru stared at the hair for a moment, then looked down at the Monthly Tennis Magazine. The hairstyle was very similar...

"Sorry I'm late," Mikata Natsu said breathlessly. "My hair took a long time to do."

"You're so feminine, Natsumaru," Asuka gigled. "You put more time and effort into your hair than girly girl here." She playfully nudged Hanae in the rib. Hanae glared in response.

After the team had registered (the lady in charge stared long and hard at Mikata before putting her name down) the girls took a walk around the park, waiting for the matches to begin. There were at least fifty schools gathered that day. The park was bigger than the last one and there were plenty of courts available. Even the practice walls were plentiful and well-designed: the pavement in front of the walls had the tennis court lines painted on them. Past the walls there was a long dirt jogging path which ran along the entire perimetre of the park. There was also a canteen, which sold bottled water and snacks.

It was there, at the canteen line, the Seigaku girls met with their first incident with another school. A group of seven girls in silver uniforms were chatting amonst each other pleasantly. Mikata eyed them approvingly. They were all very unique and very pretty. And they were all from Hyotei.

Hyotei. The rich, upper class school, known for its tennis club of over two hundred members. Hyotei always attended the tennis meets. That school would prove to be a powerful contender for the National tournament. Looking at the Hyotei girls gave Mikata an uneasy feeling, despite the fact they were all dazzlingly beautiful. There was something wrong in that.

One of the girls turned around. She had long, flowing silver hair that fell down to her bottom. There were two extremely short pigtails also coming out of the side of the side of her head, looking like animal ears. Her nose, too, was squashed and button-like. It was no snout, however; it was more like a dog's nose. Strangely enough, these features made the girl seem puppy-dog cute. Perhaps that was the point of it, Mikata thought. The girl blinked and saw Mikata. Their eyes met.

The girls immediately bounded forward and hugged Mikata fiercely.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaa!"

Glad to see my new haircut is pulling in the girls, Mikata thought languidly. That didn't stop her being confused. The fansquealing girl, though very, very cute, Mikata had to admit; was rather forward.

The girl continued to choke Mikata of breath and then started stroking the latter's cheek. Mikata, for once, felt flustered in a girl's presence. By this time, both the Seigaku girls and the Hyotei girls were straring at the commotion, as well as quite a number beside.

"Atobe-sama," the girl who was stroking Mikata murmured with dazed eyes.

"Th-That's not my name," Mikata gasped.

The girl froze.

"Isn't?" She stared. "Then why...? The hair...!"

"Atobe!" Kyoko stopped and laughed. "I knew Natsumaru's haircut was familiar! You look exactly like Atobe!"

"Oh, great...!" Mikata moaned. "I don't want to be a copycat. And Atobe's a turd," she added as an afterthought.

The girl from Hyotei was speechless for a moment.

Then, "H-How dare you? Don't you speak evil of Atobe-sama!" Spitting liked a cat demon, she hurled herself at Mikata again; except this time not fansquealing but snarling instead.

"Whoa!" Mikata dodged to the side, avoiding the lunge. She didn't try to hit back – Mikata was too much of a gentleman.

Before the girl could attack again, another one of the Hyotei girls ran over and yelled, "Heel!"

At the sound of the command, the girl halted her assault. She continued to snarl but quietened down a little. The intervener gently took a restraining grip on her arm. This girl was also beautiful. She was tall, graceful and athletic, and her hair was shoulder-length and prettily layered.

"I'm sorry," the intervener said with a bow. (At least, the best bow she could manage while still restraining the other girl from further violence.) "Suma-chan here is guided purely by instinct and by her love for Atobe-sama, so it was really your fault too. You shouldn't have insulted Atobe-sama."

Mikata couldn't figure out how a person could apologise to you and lay blame on you at the same time, but this girl from Hyotei here had mastered the art of it somehow. Mikata was more confused than ever.

She came closer. Suma snarled and tried to lash out like a dog on a leash. Mikata hastily backed away.

"C-Crazy..." Mikata muttered.

"I'm Hyotei's Ono Yui," said the girl. "I can see you're from Seigaku."

The Seigaku girls wondered what that was supposed to mean.

A girl from Hyotei spoke up. She was slightly shorter than average, but like Suma she was definitely cute. She had a round face, like a peach, and sparkling eyes which laughed. Her jet black hair was tied up in a tight bun, Chinese style. Beside her stood another girl, her identical twin sister. The only thing that distinguished them were the freckles: the first twin had them on the right side of her face and the second had them on her left.

"Well, obviously," the first twin began with a sugary sweet smile.

Her twin continued the sentence: "It's because..."

"Hyotei's girl's tennis club..."

"...picks the best-looking girls..."

"... to be regulars!"

Then the girls bowed. "Jorage twins, Migi and Hidari at your service!" they chirped in unison.

Everyone from Seigaku blinked. It was all they could do.

"You choose looks over athletic prowess?" Asuka asked finally. "What do you think a tennis club is - a beauty paegant?"

Yui looked at her. "It's obvious Seigaku doesn't have our system," she laughed.

"Why do I get the feeling that I don't like you much?" Asuka glared. She felt very conscious of her red hair and freckles.

Yui laughed. Insults didn't hurt her. At least, not from people she didn't know.

"Well, see you at the finals," she smirked, "if you're there."

She tugged on Suma's arms and started to walk off. Suma threw one last dirty look Mikata's way before following Yui's lead. The Jorage twins and the other girls from Hyotei tailed behind. Soon they were gone from sight.

Mikata stopped being a gentleman at the moment. She spat on the ground.

"Well, see you at the finals if you're there," she mimicked Yui in a mock high-pitched voice. "Damn, those girls annoy me!"

"Mind your language," Kuroki said automatically.

Hanae, noting Mikata's frustration, comfortingly patted her on the shoulder. "It's all right," she said. "Those girls are speaking empty words. How can a team like that function? Tennis is not about pretty boys."

"Tell that to the rabid fan girls." Mikata rolled her eyes. Then she thought about Suma and shivered.

Hayamichi arrived at around lunch time and was the only non-regular to turn up to the meet. She had stayed up late drawing as usual and didn't wake up until eleven. What she had drawn was a radiantly-coloured banner. 'Seigaku', it read on the right hand side in calligraphy. There was a picture of the female regulars beside it. It was a clever drawing: it was a traditional Japanese painting and every person in the picture, though recognisable, was depicted in blue yukatas.

"It's the Seigaku blue!" Hayamichi proudly announced.

Needless to say, everyone loved it. Kuroki, for instance, spent a long time analysing it, so long she almost forgot to play her match.

The incident of the Hyotei girls was soon forgotten. Kaeru, who hadn't cared when they first appeared, cared less than ever. She played well day and won every match she played in. It came to the quarterfinals, the final round of that day's proceedings.

Smiling, Kaeru nudged Saeko. "Come on," she said encouragingly, and Saeko came with her.

The first match of the quarterfinals was about to begin.

Tennis seminar of the week: Today, I'm going to teach you how to write a good tennis scene! You may have already read this seminar; you can find the link to the full article from my profile. This seminar is in three parts.

Part One: Research

So firstly, before writing tennis, do some research. Especially if you have never written it before. I would recommend research for any genre you choose - it honestly helps.

Watch tennis on the TV - pay especial attention to the commentators since they will explain certain technical aspects to you. Read books and other publications. One exercise I recommend doing is to listen to tennis on the radio. I found that listening to the commentators describe in detail what was going on aided me immensely when I was writing my own descriptions later. You can't see the action on the radio but the commentary is invariably crisp and full of energy and you can really picture the match in your head. I've always tried to replicate that same crispness in my own writing. You should try it too.

Of course, nothing beats actually playing tennis youself. You don't have to be a Roger Federer or a Rafael Nadal before you start writing. However, you really should know what it's like to actually be there on the court. If you're writing competitive tennis where the stakes are high, then the drama becomes more real if you've had the experience of those steep highs and lows playing tennis. But it's not completely necessary. If you've played competitive sport or anything competitive at all, then you can translate those feelings to the tennis court. It's as simple as that.

One last thing. Knowledge of the fundementals is necessary. You can skip out on everything I've told you today, but please... learn the rules and scoring at least. It really irks me to see set scores like 7-4 or tiebreaks like 12-0. It's just not possible. So please, please, please learn the rules before you start writing.

Now that that's over and done with for now, let's play a game!

...Sorta. This is your chance, readers, to actually have an influence on how this story goes. Just because I feel I must appeal to the girls more... Let me explain it: you may have a chance to pick pairings! In your review, you can state the OcxCanon pairing you like and justify its compatibility. The best submissions may actually find their pairing happen. I'm very lame... Anywho, the types the Seigaku regulars like. (For the boys, it's actually what it is. Their profiles told me. XD.)

Kyoko: Guys who look good with glasses.

Hanae: The artistic type. (ie. Not sporty.)

Kuroki: Older men.

Mikata: Doesn't count.

Hayamichi: Someone who is rich.

Kaeru: Guys with lots of muscles.

Kagura: An intelligent type. Nerdy is okay.

Asuka: Someone who would laugh at my jokes.

Saeko: A strong-willed, determined man.

Ryoma: Girls who look good in braids. (Sakuno: 0.o)

Momo: Sporty girls.

Kaidoh: A girl who appreciates good cooking.

Inui: Older women.

Kawamura: A girl with a nice figure.

Fuji: A girl with nice hands.

Oishi: A girl who looks good in glasses.

Eiji: Someone who I can share my laughter with.

Tezuka: A girl who is very determined.

So remember to review and your romantic fantasies will come true! ... Maybe. (Oh, and you don't have to pair the girls with someone from Seigaku, just so you know. And you can pair the other OCs too. Like the girls who were just introduced this chapter, for instance.)

Any questions... PM me...

Chapter 26: Communication

Author's note: So I've gotten some feedback for pairing suggestions. Please don't hesitate to come up with some more suggestions! In fact, they rather amuse me and quite a few of them are definite maybes.

On another note: OMG, will Federer win the French Open (and thus become one of the rare souls who have won the Grand Slam), or will Nadal-killer Soderling come out on top? This is an epic match, so don't forget to watch it tonight!

Ch. 26 Communication

Kakkenoki Junior High had gotten off on a strong start at the Metropolitan tournament. After a 3-0 victory in the first round, the team had not lost its momentum. Coach Sabe Ryo was in a very good mood and even the solemn Kuki Kaname had a half-smile on her face. Her brother Kiichi had come to watch her play, albeit, for about two minutes. What he really wanted to do was complain about that lost opportunity to play Seigaku's Tezuka Kunimitsu.

"You know," he'd say loudly, for the umpteenth time, "I heard there was something up with Tezuka's elbow. I wish I could've played him…!"

Kaname never told him to be quiet since she liked having him around. She never said anything about his comments on Tezuka, thinking such an action to be imprudent. Around her, people expressed shock at the hint of Tezuka's condition, so maybe this captain of Seigaku was a very impregnable type of person, Kaname thought.

That day, as Kuki said the same thing yet again, someone was listening. Someone who was not Kaname.

A boy walked up to Kuki and tapped him on the shoulder. "Oh, is that so? What you said about Tezuka, I mean."

Kuki froze and then turned around.

Atobe Keigo, third year captain of Hyotei Academy's boy's tennis team, tapped his foot impatiently. Behind him stood the second year Kabaji Munehiro. They made an intimidating pair.

"Come on, brother," Kaname broke in suddenly. "The quarterfinals are about to start. Please watch me play against Hyotei."

The spell was over. Kuki came to his senses. "It's true," he said to Atobe. "There's something funny with Tezuka's elbow. I know it."

"I see," said Atobe, a slow smirk growing on his face.

Kaname was becoming a little frustrated with her brother. Wasn't he coming yet?

Suddenly she heard running footsteps and a high-pitched squeal behind her: "Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!"

A girl dashed impetuously along the footpath, making straight for Atobe. All Kaname could make out of her was her long silver hair, which flowed like a fountain. She was running so quickly Kaname couldn't make out her features at all, yet she could tell the girl was very excited. It was Kamido Suma, female regular of Hyotei, the girl who Kaname was supposed to be playing Singles 2 with. Except, she seemed a bit distracted at the moment.

"Atobe-sama, I love you!" Suma squealed.

She ran faster. She flung out her arms to embrace Atobe. She was about to hug him.

"Heel!"

She stopped.

Ono Yui had yelled the command and was running towards Suma from the direction she had come from. The rest of the female regulars followed behind Yui. Kuki and his sister just stared, feeling very out-of-place and confused.

"I'm so sorry!" Yui bowed so lowly to Atobe her head touched the concrete. She couldn't see the cold glare on his face.

Atobe was feeling disgusted. "Find a better way to restrain that girl." He pointed his thumb at Suma, who was sniveling on the ground by his feet. "Fan girls should know their place."

It was as if a blanket of coldness snuffed something of Yui's spirit out. She could only nod numbly. There was no pride at all in her face. Atobe's scorn was a sword that stabbed and twisted painfully in her gut.

"I'll do better in the future," Yui said softly. Her eyes began to water. "Please… Atobe-sama…"

Atobe watched her impassively.

Then he said, "Let's go, Kabaji. We've wasted enough time already."

Elsewhere…

Every time Kaeru stepped onto the court, the same rush of adrenaline would always come back to her. That was the only time when she knew she was smiling. She took her position, standing tall, straight – brimming with confidence. She knew that her style of tennis was far different from that of a normal girl. The average middle school player was like Saeko, someone who used consistency rather than aggression to win points. Consequently, when most doubles teams faced the Gamano-Fuunare pair, they were often at a loss to counter Kaeru's net play.

That was how it was with the current game, at least. The opposing doubles team consisted of two dark-haired, skinny looking girls. Rather bony, Kaeru thought. Of course, they could hit the ball; they hadn't reached the quarterfinals for nothing. In fact, if they hadn't been taken by surprise, they would probably outrally Kaeru.

The other Seigaku regulars watched from the bench. "Ah," Kuroki was saying; "this shall be a tough match for our youthful pair, I expect."

"What do you mean?" Kagura asked.

"The opposing team," Kuroki answered, "is Yamabuki Junior High, is it not? That school specialises in doubles."

Kagura glanced sharply upward at the green-clad Yamabuki pair just as a rally began. Saeko hit her serve; Kaeru shuffled around at the net. The Yamabuki girl at the baseline hastened to return the serve. Suddenly, Kaeru darted to the side and rammed the ball down the line. The opponent at the net couldn't react quickly enough. She fumbled and missed.

"Wow!" Kagura gasped. "Kaeru's really good though!"

"Yeah," said Kyoko, nodding. "I always get amazed at how quickly Gamano is improving. She's a natural athlete."

On the court, Kaeru kept up her furious pace at the net. She won quite a few points crossing to Saeko's end and taking the balls meant for her.

"Ah!" Asuka frowned. "Looks like she's hogging the ball."

"On the contrary," Hanae grinned. "That's called 'poaching.'"

Asuka scratched her head.

Hanae explained, "Poaching is when you're at the net and you intercept the shot meant for your partner. If you use it right, the opponent can't see it coming. It's a very difficult kind of play to perfect."

"Look." Kuroki pointed at Saeko. "Fuunare's moving to cover Gamano every time she poaches."

Still, Kuroki thought with a slight, barely noticeable frown. Every time Kaeru poached, she created an opening, and Saeko needed time to close up the gap. If they worked together a bit more, their movements would go in synch. Those two still needed to work out the finer points of their communication. Kuroki hoped the Yamabuki pair wouldn't notice the opening.

Perhaps that was too much to hope for.

The game continued. Kaeru didn't notice it but the points grew longer. Gradually, the Yamabuki pair adjusted their formation: they both played at the baseline and hit more lobs.

"Are they being pushed back?" Kagura asked. "If that's so, we've got them on the run."

The ninth graders were looking serious. "No," said Hanae. "They're using tactics. Obviously, they're not as comfortable on the net as Gamano, so they're opting for a moon baller game."

Just then, one of the lobs hit by the Yamabuki girl soared over the net and Kaeru's head. It landed at Saeko's feet and bounced at her shoulder level. Saeko stood on her back foot and hit it back as best she could. It was a feeble shot.

That was when the opponents moved forward.

Kaeru gasped and then braced herself. The opponent dashed forward and took Saeko's shot. Kaeru reacted immediately but wasn't quick enough to reach the fast ball that the Yamabuki girl had sent to the corner.

The Yamabuki team proceeded to win the next five games. The score became 5-1. Worriedly, Kagura glanced at Kaeru. It was then she noticed something was different. She couldn't put her finger on it. Kaeru was talking with Saeko about strategy in a hushed voice.

Suddenly it occurred to her.

"She really wants to win," Kagura said. "You can see it on her face."

Kaeru had started off regarding tennis as a game; now, she had a vested interest in the outcome of the match. Kaeru was starting to change. She was starting to reflect Saeko's view on tennis, Kyoko's view on tennis, Hayamichi's view on tennis. All of them. Their matches made a deep impression on her.

"Hmm." Kuroki looked at Kagura. "You're right."

The tennis went on, and Kaeru tried harder than ever. Faster, faster… Her footwork seemed to come alive. The Yamabuki girls would hit the ball hard and fast but Kaeru would block it straight back. The opponents tried for Saeko's backhand next.

"Saeko-chan!" Kaeru yelled out. "Aikido Return now!"

"Yes!"

Fuunare Saeko's powerful backhand counter reflected the shot straight back at the Yamabuki girls. They tried for one more lob.

"Jump!" Kaeru screamed. She looked so far from nonchalant now.

Saeko jumped as high as she could. And then she brought her racquet down with all the strength she could manage. She let out a furious, heated cry and afterwards fell to the ground exhausted with the effort.

"Game and match!" The umpire stood up and announced. "Yamabuki wins 6-3."

Saeko's smash had been out by a centimeter.

"I'm sorry…" Saeko sniffed. Kaeru patted her on the back then helped her to her feet.

"That was fun," Kaeru said slowly. "Wasn't it?"

She realized that she had wanted to win but that desire did not do her any good now. All she knew was that she had played well, Saeko had played well; they had done their best. The rest was up to the team. As Kaeru and Saeko shook hands with their opponents, Kaeru felt a burning passion overwhelm her. Inwardly, she resolved that she would get better and next time, she would improve enough to notice it on her scorecard. And then her friends would be proud and together they'd all succeed.

Yes, Kaeru was changing. Yet, not even she noticed her own change. One seldom does.

The next match was the Singles 3. Asuka hit the winning point with her most bizarre winner yet. She hit the ball and it bounced on the top of the net post. Then it fell onto the other side of the court – in. Her opponent was so stunned she didn't even retrieve the ball.

"That's Asuka-chan's Lottery Tennis for you," Saeko grinned. "She's so… fortunate…!"

Singles 2 was Mikata's match. Mikata opened with her One-Two Punch Serve and went on to fault only a few times in the match. Mikata's serve was one-hundred and eighty kilometers per hour. That was so fast that in junior high school tennis, it was a guaranteed ace every time. At least, that was the case at the Metropolitan tournament.

"At Nationals it'll be different," Mikata forecasted gloomily after she went away with her 6-0 win.

Having lost the Doubles matches, Kyoko's Singles 1 match was the decider for the quarterfinals. It was during her match that the Seigaku girls heard the results for the other teams in the quarterfinals.

The whispers were told everywhere: "Kakkenoki lost to Hyotei…!" One of Mikata's lady friends said so.

Mikata couldn't believe it. "That ragtag bunch? Those Atobe fan girls? That's just…!" She shook her head. She was tongue-tied for words.

Kyoko and her opponent were shaking hands at the net. Their match was already done. Kyoko hurried over to her team.

"What's wrong?" she asked at once. "You all look gloomy." She had won 6-0, so it couldn't have anything to do with her match, she thought. Still…

"It's Hyotei," Hanae explained. "We're facing them in the semis. They beat Kakkenoki."

Kyoko frowned. "Then they're better than we thought. That's not good."

Now that the day's matches were completely over, Kuroki had taken out her knitting and was working away at a new sweater as she talked. "There's something about that team which is intriguing. There's more to them than meets the eye. I think I will have to… gather some information on them."

"And we'll have to train harder," Kaeru put in.

Well, that much was obvious.

Tennis seminar of the week:

Part Two: The Dos and Don'ts of Tennis Drama

So today we're going to actually start writing! Yay.

First off, have a very clear idea of how the match will go and who will win. If you don't, then you'll have to start story boarding or something equally lame from English class.

Remember! Sports drama does not need to be overly realistic. In fact, making the sport seem like something from a textbook will only bore the readers. This does not mean everyone should hit unlikely shots, but there is a certain formula which is very popular in sports drama. Konomi-sensei plays with the formula at times and you can too. However, the formula is tried, tested and true, so if you apply your super awesome writing skillz to it, you will get a great story. Trust me on this.

THE hero is established as the clear underdog. He (or she) may be a beginner, younger than everyone else or have some other handicap.

THE opponent is not always a villain. Sometimes he (or she) is a rival or a friend. Generally, if the reader wants to root for both characters it will make it more engrossing, but you must establish clearly who is the one we all want to win.

BOTH sides must have something to gain or lose from the match.

AS part of the 'underdog hero' thing, in a dramatic tennis match, the hero will be losing but through friendship/tenacity/whatever, he will turn the match around. When this happens, you can start wowing everyone with the technical stuff in order to explain how the hero figured out how to beat the opponent's beat-all technique.

THE hero can and should lose at some point. It needs to to be character-developing. Nobody likes a hero we can't relate to.

TRAINING scenes are important. If we can't track the hero's improvement over the story, then he is a definite gary-stu. (Or mary-sue.)

ROMANCE is good. The love interest will give the hero some motivation or be a catalyst for some kind of conflict.

FOCUS more on the characters and the drama than the technicalities. I once got a kick out of being technical, but that really does nothing but exclude the readers. Bear that in mind.

WHEN writing individual rallies, it might help you to write down some shots and build the scene around that if you have trouble visualising the action. So, it could be like:

Ryoma: Twist serve; Fuji: crosscourt; Ryoma: down-the-line; Fuji: slice; Ryoma: topspin backhand; Fuji: lob; Ryoma: smash; Fuji: Higuma Otoshi.

Link the shots up and make it flow and you've got yourself a rally.

ONLY write the important or "thrilling" rallies. If you write down every rally one after another that would make for a really long and repetitive match...

Next chapter: Kuroki manages to sneak into Hyotei! She finds that she heartily dislikes everything about Hyotei's philosophy. Yet she's drawn to help a boy who's just been kicked off the regulars find his way back on…

(If you don't get who that boy is, I will slap you.)

Chapter 27: At Hyotei

Author's note: I've deciced to be canon nerd today that I've made a reference to a specific episode during which this chapter is set in. It's Episode 37.

I apologise if my descriptions of Hyotei are off. I couldn't be bothered looking up visual reference, so I just used my imagination. What can you say? I felt like practising my descriptive writing.

This chapter doesn't follow the preview last chapter at all. Ehhh, I think that preview will just apply to the current mini-arc. In any case, I had way too much fun writing Hyotei...

Ch. 27 At Hyotei

It has been a long Seigaku tradition for the tennis club members to take the next day off after a tournament for rest. Naturally, the tennis players made the most of their brief interlude. Hayamichi slept in until two in the afternoon, which was what Ryoma would have done had he not been coaching Sakuno and Tomoka and getting into all sorts of mischief. It wasn't as bad as it sounded.

Tezuka and Oishi actually went to school and hung around the library. Asuka, who never did school if she could help it, laughed at their nerdiness and spent the day playing golf. Kagura, by contrast, studied and practised her ballet and flute until her parents forced her to go to bed. Meanwhile, Eiji and Kaeru stayed in their respective homes playing video games. Kaidoh ran laps, Inui collected data, Fuji admired his cacti, Momo rode on his bike and Kawamura, being a good son, helped out in his father's restaurant. Saeko also spent the day with her family; her grandfather was in Tokyo for once and so Saeko stayed with him. As for Kyoko, Hanae and Mikata...

Silence had no meaning.

Kyoko, Hanae and Mikata had just walked into a house filled with screaming toddlers. Footsteps echoed around the room: the kids were playing chasey. They climbed on the furniture, pulled each other's hair and never for a moment stopped their headache-inducing noise. One boy in the corner looked like he was about to set fire to the curtains. Kyoko hastily pulled the matches away from him. The little boy started to grizzle, contributing further to the cacophony.

"Shut them up, shut them up!" Hanae hissed. Even Mikata was looking irritated.

They did their best to round up the children and situate them in the living room. There was a total of six children, all under the age of ten. When they were all in the same room, they still didn't stop their movement; in fact, they were more restless than ever. The boys fidgeted and started to pinch and punch each other, although the girls remained relatively still. One of the girls cried lustily for no apparent reason.

"What a nightmare!" Mikata sighed and rubbed her temples. "Who knew babysitting Kuroki's siblings would be this painful?"

"She said she was going somewhere..." Hanae winced at the piercing screams around her. "Is this what she has to put up with every day? Geez, no wonder Kuroki's so much of an old lady."

At the sight of what looked like another Super Smash Bros. type melee among the boys, Kyoko finally had enough. "Be quiet and sit still! I hope you aren't like this with your sister!"

The kids quietened down somewhat. One of the girls who looked to be about five explained. "Shizuka-nee told us we'd be seeing Auntie Kyoko, Auntie Hana and Uncle Natsu today. Where is Shizuka-nee?" Shizuka-nee was Kuroki.

Mikata chuckled at being referred to as Uncle Natsu. "Oh, she said she was doing some 'spying' at Hyotei. She's got 'connections' although she didn't say what they were."

None of the kids understood that. They just wanted ice cream.

Just then, there was a shuffling sound from the direction of the bedroom and a girl appeared at the door. She looked as if she was in her early twenties. She looked tired and rather ill; her nose was red and she had dark rings under her eyes. She coughed; not a quiet, polite cough but rather a "I'm-really-sick" kind of cough. Once she was over that, she looked up at the three puzzled girls who were watching her and smiled feebly.

"You must be Kuroki's older sister," Kyoko said. She inclined her head and peered at the girl worriedly. "You should stay in bed. Kuroki told us to take care of your siblings for you."

The girl didn't move. "Older sister?" She began to quietly chuckle. "I'm her mother."

There was a silence, broken only by the sounds of hyperactive toddlers.

Then, "EH?"

Mrs Kuroki continued to smile faintly. "Ah, I get that reaction all the time."

"You look so young, ma'm!" Mikata said incredulously. "Like you're in your twenties!"

"Thank you," Mrs Kuroki said graciously. Then she sat down and looked at the floor and sighed. "The truth, though, is that I was only in ninth grade when I had Shizuka. The same age as you girls."

Kyoko and Hanae glanced at each other. They couldn't imagine having a baby at their age at all. If such a thing happened to them, they wouldn't know what to do. What would everyone think...?

"And you live alone with the children in this small house?" Mikata glanced around. "Where's the father?"

"Ah, Shizuka never said anything to you?"

Mikata shook her head.

"Then," Mrs Kuroki went on wearily, "she must not have wanted you to know."

Mikata frowned. So Kuroki didn't trust them. Well, this matter was rather personal.

"Nevertheless, she sent you over here, so I think you're entitled to know," said Mrs Kuroki. She paused a moment, then began:

"He died of illness early this year. My husband was many years my senior; actually, when I was in junior high school, he was my teacher. I was such an innocent schoolgirl at the time, fancying him. It was innocuous at first, and then our relationship deepened... until I became pregnant with Shizuka. Then he was forced to resign from his teaching post and to marry me. I quit school too. My family disowned me." She laughed bitterly, and then picked up one of her sons and sat him on her lap. "Of course," she continued, "my family was such a rich, traditional family. They could not bear to have such a stain on their name. I went to Hyotei Academy."

"N-No. You can't be serious..." Hanae stuttered. The others were just as shocked, gazing at Mrs Kuroki with open mouths.

Hyotei Academy... the rival upper-class school. Only the rich kids went there...!

Everyone's actions for the day safely established, Kuroki Shizuka took the bus into central Tokyo. Before she went, she made sure that she wore her Kimono. Whenever she was out of school, she always wore her yellow Kimono. Sometimes, she'd get strange looks from passersby, but foreigners happened to be pleased with such a spectacle, oddly enough. Kuroki tied her thick black hair into a humble braid and carried a small handbag. This contained a purse (2000 yen inside), a pen, a map, a notebook, a paper fan and a pair of scissors. Twenty minutes into her journey to the centre of the city, Kuroki wondered why she had brought the scissors at all. She had forgotten to take them out of her bag before she left.

She didn't stop to buy anything in downtown Tokyo. She scrutinised her map very carefully, considering the direction she needed to go. Her destination was not far from the street tennis courts. After fifteen minutes of walking, Kuroki came to the front gate of Hyotei Academy.

Barring her entrance into the school was a pair of ornate, silver gates. They were twice the size of her and didn't restrict her view of the school at all. The thick metal poles which made up the front fate were far enough apart for Kuroki to thrust her hand through the gap, although even a small child could certainly not slip through. There was an easy view of the grounds, which, Kuroki had to admit, was one of the best-looking Western-style gardens in Tokyo. She could pick out the rare and expensive flowers that grew on the sides of the footpaths. There were hyaginths, rhodendrons... She was itching to come closer so she could identify them all. The hedges of the garden were a healthy green and clipped to perfection. They surrounded a little stream which flowed from a man-made fountain.

In the backdrop, the main building loomed overhead, clearly visible. Its architecture was grand, almost archaic in design, but it also looked very new. It had obviously been repainted and revamped recently, along with many of the other facilities. Each facility was the size of a university department: There was a science block, an auditorium, a maths, English and Japanese block, an art centre... Hyotei was truly massive in scale.

She wasted no time in making her entrance. She told the guards who she was and her reasons for coming into the school and they let her in without any hassle.

Because classes were on, the grounds were deserted. She briskly made her way to the sports department, which happened to be at the far end of the school. As she passed the sports oval, she saw students in P.E class playing soccer. They seemed to be having fun. There was no one at the tennis courts yet, so Kuroki sat on her calves and watched the match.

She wasn't to know it, but the class on that soccer field was 3-C. As it is with most P.E classes, most of the girls simply stood around talking while the boys actually ran around retrieving the ball and passing it to each other. One curly-haired boy was the exception. Although he looked athletic, he was constantly yawning to the point that he was about to fall asleep standing up. His name was Akutagawa Jiroh.

"Wow, this is boring," he remarked to no one in particular. "We should just play tennis instead..." He yawned again.

A tall, brown-haired boy with a ponytail darted past him kicking the ball. Jiroh made a half-hearted lunge for the ball, before deciding he couldn't be bothered and promptly yawned once more. The boy in the ponytail snorted.

"Show some effort, Akutagawa," he taunted as he made a spectacular feint with his footwork. He trapped the ball with his feet and then kicked it straight for goal. He scored.

Jiroh looked at him with half-closed eyes. "Maybe you should just join the soccer team, Shishido. Now that you've been kicked off the regulars..."

Shishido's countenance altered abruptly. "Shut up!" he snarled. "That's only temporary! I'll be back on in no time!"

Jiroh's soft snores punctuated the statement. He had fallen asleep. Exasperated, Shishido glared at Jiroh and started twirling the soccer ball expertly with his feet. He'd show Jiroh; he'd show everyone... just what he could do.

A few minutes later, the bell rang, indicating class was over. Jiroh woke himself up to get changed for tennis practice with the regulars. Shishido also hurried off to the changing rooms. Kuroki watched the two boys with a faint air of intrigue and then looked around her. She could see students streaming out of the buildings. The noise and chattering suddenly magnified in volume. The school had been almost still just a few minutes ago. The traffic around the school increased, and over the next five minutes, the sports department began to fill up. There were some going out to play soccer or baseball, but most of them went out to play tennis.

The one leading the way was Atobe Keigo himself. Behind him were the other male regulars. Jiroh looked much less tired and much bouncier now. A small smile tugged on Kuroki's lips as she watched him. He was like her young siblings – so excitable.

Behind the regulars were the other members of the tennis club. They were all enthusiastically chanting a tuneless dirge: "The winner will be Hyotei!" Shishido was among them, not looking quite as energetic as the others. He keep shifting his eyes towards the regulars, glaring at them jealously. Kuroki suspected that he had once been among them.

"Right!" Atobe called out. "Regulars to Court C. Begin warm-up!"

Atobe. Intriguing boy, Kuroki thought. His influence over Hyotei was powerful. He had a magnetic charm which drew people to him and an unrivalled air of confidence. She suspected that he was the type to pour blood, sweat and tears into his training and to subsequently look down on people who didn't follow the same initiative. The girls of Hyotei did not have the same kind of motivation and yet...

She looked around. Where were they? Practice had been on for some minutes and there were still no girls in sight.

She decided to ask someone for help. "Excuse me!" she called out at random, hoping someone would hear. "You, sir!"

A blue-haired, bespectacled boy who was running laps on the dirt path beside her stopped as he heard her voice. "Are you looking for someone?" he asked.

He looked proud and haughty, Kuroki thought immediately, but not someone who would deny another help as long as he got something out of it. He'd make a good businessman one day.

"Do you happen to know where the girl's team is, young man?" she asked crisply.

"It isn't the day for the girls to practise today," the boy explained.

"Ah," Kuroki said ruefully. "Well, then, what do you know about the girls?"

"I'm sorry," said the boy, "but I don't have time to chat. You've caught me in the middle of training." He didn't look very sorry at all.

"Young man, at least tell me your name," Kuroki said, annoyed.

"Oshitari Yuushi," he replied. And then he had to run.

Uncle Natsu and aunts Kyoko and Hana had exhausted every avenue of creativity when it came to entertaining Kuroki's siblings. They could not allow the children to make much noise around the house because Mrs Kuroki needed her rest. Unfortunately, there was no TV and the number of toys within the vicinity was limited. The girls couldn't believe that Kuroki was actually connected to Hyotei at all. Her family was so poor.

Poor, yet proud. Kuroki could have asked any number of relatives for relief and they probably would have given her money, yet she would rather knit her own clothing and take care of her siblings alone. So maybe she really did belong in Hyotei, with that kind of mindset.

Kyoko was musing on that thought until Hanae suddenly, "Hey, why don't we play tennis?"

"Eh, why?" Kyoko was confused.

"Well," said Hanae, "we'd get the kids outside and they could probably stay entertained for a while. I've got my racquet and Kuroki's is somewhere around here."

One of Kuroki's little sisters happened to hear what Hanae was saying. "Shizuka-nee plays tennis with us alla time!" she squeaked. "Tennis! Tennis! Tennis!"

The other kids took up the chant and started banging their fists on the floor as well. "Tennis! Tennis! Tennis!"

"Okay, let's go play tennis," Mikata said.

All the children had cheap little wooden racquets stacked away in a cupboard, except for the youngest boy, who wasn't big enough to hold a racquet yet. He still wanted to watch anyway, because he could still chant the word tennis, except it came out as 'tens'.

The group made their way on foot to the street tennis courts. Kyoko, Hanae and Mikata were very careful to make sure all of the children were following, since the boys had a habit of wandering in a different direction if they spotted something they fancied.

Finally, they arrived. Unfortunately, the courts were already taken.

A group of girls in Hyotei uniform were practising volleys on the doubles courts. They were very familiar girls. Oh no, Mikata thought.

Spotting the newcomers arrive out of the corner of their eyes, the Hyotei regulars turned to look. They stared.

"What are you doing here?" they asked, stupefied.

"Same to you," Mikata said.

Tennis seminar of the week:

Part Three: General Action Tips

Before we get ito it, let's revise some of our grammar.

There are three types of sentences: simple, compound and complex.

A simple sentence contains a subject and a verb: e.g. 'Ryoma hit the ball.'

A compound sentence is made up of two simple sentences linked by a conjunction: e.g. 'Ryoma ran to the ball and hit it.'

A complex sentence contains clauses. Clauses are phrases which grammatically cannot stand along and so are linked to another sentence with commas: e.g. 'Ryoma, running to the ball, hit it.'

Generally, in action writing, too many complex sentences will slow down the pace. This is because the reader will have to slow down in order to digest the information. Set yourself a limit: only two commas maximum per sentence in an action scene. Compound sentences are good. Most of your sentences should be of that structure, with a few simple and complex sentences to make it more interesting. Simple sentences are effectivfe after a long sentence and will pack a punch if placed strategically.

e.g. 'As Ryoma looked up and saw the large, shining trophy his teammates clutched, he could not help but feel an overpowering sense of euphoria come over him, and he smiled. They had won.'

Too many short sentences will make the language sound choppy. It's very important to vary your sentence structure.

Another point identificable with action writing is the utilisation of verbs. In action writing more than anything, the verb is the focal point of the sentence. Substitute descriptive verbs over a general verb. (i.e. 'dashed' or 'sprinted' over 'ran'.) A thesuarus will help, but don't use weird words which aren't immediately identifiable or don't 'say' what you want to say.

Adverbs are exceedingly helpful. In an action scene, most of the description will come through the adverbs so the more colourful and varied, the better.

Description should be short yet succinct and expressive. A tip is not to say 'the cat was red' but rather 'the red cat did such-and-such' so you don't have to slow down the pace. You can slow it down then speed it up again, but shifting it around too much will just confuse the reader.

Make sure you use an 'active' writing voice rather than a 'passive' one. The best examples of 'active' writing come through top story newspaper articles, while poetry and romance use a more 'passive' style.

Compare 'The ball was hit by Ryoma' and 'Ryoma hit the ball.' Which sounds more "immediate" to you? Limit your use of auxilliary verbs ('was' and 'had') and focus more on what is happening right now. You'll find that the action will be more pulling once you identify what is redundant and remove it.

Be sure not to ramble too! Make sure every sentence has a point and you're not repeating yourself.

... It's really not that hard once you do it yourself. Like perfecting your serve, you don't have to keep everything in mind at once, just focus on one thing at a time. Even if you don't consider yourself an action writer, being able to write an action scene will open up new doors in writing to you and you'll become more versatile a writer.

I sincerely hope this article has helped you in some way. If you have any questions or feedback, don't hesitate to PM me! This is Frog-kun, signing off.

Chapter 28: Second Serve

Author's note: ...Because I'm the Prince of Questionable Summaries. My reasoning is that Atobe and co. are teenage boys, after all.

I am not sure if Natsumaru is a Mary Sue or a Gary Stu. Really.

Ch. 28 Second Serve

There was a pregnant pause. Yui and Mikata glared at each other, Suma began to snarl and the Jorage twins clutched at each other, whimpering. A Hyotei girl with long eyelashes and a dirty blonde ponytail bounced the ball on the ground with her palm, and the soft sound of its bounce rang through the air. It did nothing to dispel the silence and finally, one of Kuroki's siblings spoke:

"Don't hog the courts! We wanna play!" It was one of the little brothers – Hikaru – who was six years old. He was the second oldest sibling.

When nobody on the Hyotei team said anything, Kyoko stepped forward and said carefully, "These are public tennis courts, aren't they? Why aren't you girls at school?"

The Hyotei girls simply looked at each other.

"This is where we do our tennis practice," Yui answered haughtily.

Hanae raised an eyebrow and asked, "Here? Why not at school?"

"We hate to say it -" Jorage Migi began.

"- But it's none of your business," Jorage Hidari finished tartly.

Kuroki's youngest sibling began to cry. Hikaru pointed his finger directly at the twins and whined, "Those girls are mean! Let's go home."

Ordinarily, Mikata would have agreed. However, some irrational urge overcame her and she reacted to it. Hyotei's regulars irked her to a point where she didn't think she could be irked.

She stormed forward and called out impetuously, "Hey, why do you play us at tennis? If you win, we'll clear off, but if you lose, you'll clear off instead. How about that?" She tapped her foot impatiently on the ground as she said that. She only did that when she was really aggravated.

The reactions of the Hyotei girls were diverse and almost cartoon-like. Suma scowled and the Jorage twins gasped in unison. Yui said nothing and tilted her head sideways, as if she was considering Mikata's words thoughtfully. The girl with the blonde ponytail whispered something in her ear. Yui nodded before turning to Mikata.

"All right," she responded with a smirk. "It's literally your loss. Suma-chan and I will play you and your partner."

"Okay," Mikata replied, still drumming away with her foot. "Buchou, you ready?"

"I don't like this," Kyoko said at once. Kuroki's siblings were all standing around her, and Kyoko motioned towards them as she went on. "We're supposed to entertain the children. Besides, we're playing Hyotei in two weeks. Right, Hana-chan?" She turned to her friend for support.

To Kyoko's surprise, Hanae hadn't been looking at her. She had been staring coolly at Yui and Suma. Upon hearing her name being spoken, Hanae simply shook her head.

"It's all right, buchou. You can take care of Kuroki's siblings," she said. "I'll play with Natsumaru."

"I see," Kyoko said stiffly. So Hanae too had been affected by those unpleasant vibes surrounding Hyotei's tennis team. That wasn't a good sign.

"Oh, and one last thing," Yui said, and Kyoko looked up sharply. With a nasty smile spreading across her face, Yui continued, "You'll play by our rules. Here at Hyotei, there's no such thing as a second serve..."

It was not until practice was over that Kuroki could catch Oshitari's attention once more. She found him as he was walking off the court, wiping his face with a towel.

"Oshitari-san, if I may have a moment?"

He finished wiping his face, replaced his glasses, and then said, "Yes?"

Kuroki immediately whipped out her notebook from her bag and said, "You know something about the girl's team." It wasn't a question.

"And if I do?"

"I would appreciate it if you told me."

Looking at Kuroki's polite yet commanding expression, Oshitari couldn't help but chuckle. She looked about his age and yet she acted with dignity and maturity far beyond her years. It was obvious she wasn't from Hyotei, then. Which meant...

Just then, Atobe Keigo walked up to the two of them, his racquet slung over his shoulder. Imperiously, he asked, "Oshitari, who is this girl?"

Oshitari shrugged. "Just a spy," he answered casually. His eyes twinkled.

For a moment, Kuroki thought that Atobe was going to say something like, "Release the hounds." Instead, he laughed rather egoistically and said, "Looks like my vast superiority has been acknowledged."

Confident fellow, wasn't he? Kuroki thought dryly.

Before she or Oshitari could correct Atobe on his assumptions, the boy himself said, "Well, she's seen enough. Send her away. Non-members aren't allowed here anyway."

Kuroki looked at Oshitari, then at Atobe. "You don't know who I am?" she asked quietly.

Atobe considered the question seriously. "Not somebody as important as me," he said finally.

"I see." Kuroki bowed her head low yet stiffly before turning to leave. "I am not obligated to tell you my name, then. Farewell."

She walked away.

"She's weird," was what Atobe had to say.

Oshitari suddenly remarked, "That pattern on her kimono looked somewhat familiar."

Traditional families always wore their family pattern on the sleeve of their ceremonial kimonos. Kuroki's was the pattern of a black-coloured tree. Oshitari was certain he had seen it before somewhere. It wasn't the pattern of anyone on the regulars, as far as he could tell. But someone he knew from Hyotei surely had it, which was what puzzled Oshitari. That girl was a strange one indeed.

Since Oshitari had other more important things to worry about, he stopped dwelling on the matter and it receded into his subconsciousness. He didn't forget it, though. Oshitari never forgets.

"Shishido-sempai! Shishido-sempai!" Oootori Choutarou, an eighth grader on the Hyotei regular team, ran toward the older boy, who was just leaving the school gates. "Where are you going now?"

Shishido paused at the door. He hadn't changed out of his tennis outfit yet. "I'm going to keep practising at the street tennis courts," he announced.

"Why?" Choutarou asked. He wasn't incredulous; but he did have a wide-eyed sort of countenance.

Shishido said, "I'm going to get back on the regulars."

Now Choutarou was honestly bemused. He came closer to Shishido, as if closing the distance between them would make him understand the situation better. "Is that... possible...?" he wondered aloud. He loathed to consider the thought, but maybe Shishido was getting false hopes. Coach Sakaki didn't give second chances.

"Of course I can do it," Shishido snapped. "Are you with me or not?"

Choutarou smiled, albeit a little sadly. As long as his sempai had his confidence, he thought. Shishido would never stand down a defeat.

"I'll help you," Choutarou said quickly. "Shall we get going?"

Meanwhile, at the street tennis courts, the Jorage twins were enjoying themselves immensely.

"One set match!" Migi announced cheerfully as she and her sister strode towards the sidelines.

"Hyotei versus Seigaku!" Hidari chirped. To them, it was all a game.

"What are we watching?" Kuroki's little brother Hikaru tugged on Kyoko's sleeve and asked.

Kyoko only sighed before responding, "One explosive tennis match, I think. Oh, this will be a bother." She had no power over her team mates when they felt particularly stubborn. They normally listened attentively to her.

"An explosive tennis match?" Hikaru asked dolefully. "Is the court going to blow up?"

Kyoko mentally reminded herself to watch her adjectives in the future.

On the court (that was most certainly not going to blow up) Yui was spinning the racquet to decide who was going to serve. Mikata and Hanae had called rough, and rough it came up indeed. Mikata decided to serve first.

Idiot, Kyoko thought with exasperation. Natsumaru's One-Two Punch serve was her biggest weapon yet it was a low percentage shot. Why on earth did she agree not to utilise a second serve? It was a severe handicap to her ability.

As soon as everyone was ready, Mikata began the point with a spectacular fault. Her blistering, fast serve went straight into the net on her first try. The ball had been there above Mikata's head and the next moment it was bouncing off the net.

"Damn." Mikata scowled. "I need to warm up."

Seeing that no rally had commenced, Suma began to whine like a deprived puppy. Mikata's scowl deepened at the sight. "What I wouldn't give for a sledgehammer right now," she muttered darkly. Picking up the ball which was rolling by her feet, she prepared herself for another serve.

"Love fifteen!" the Jorage twins announced, a little too excitedly.

Mikata went to the left side of the court to serve at Yui. Yui began to step closer to the net while saying aloud, "That's a fast serve you have there, but can you get it in?" Her voice, Kyoko thought, was really jarring.

"Why is she saying that? That's not nice." Hikaru sounded upset. The other siblings made incoherent noises of agreement.

"It's because," Kyoko said heavily, "if you provoke your opponent into hitting a fault, you get an automatic point." She gazed at Mikata worriedly. If only she could stop the match...

"Hmph," Mikata snorted. "I'll get it right this time." She needed to do this. If she didn't develop more consistency she wouldn't win at Nationals.

Mikata hadn't been telling anyone but after watching her captain's match with Echizen, she had begun developing a special second serve of her own, a serve that would render her One-Two Punch almost unstoppable. The only way to learn how to apply it was to put pressure on herself. That was why she had agreed to Yui's conditions.

When it came to Nationals, there was no such thing as a second serve.

As Mikata was tossing the ball into the air, two more people walked into the vicinity: two boys, the first the boy with the ponytail whom Kuroki recognised from Hyotei and the other a silver-haired boy who had a somewhat gentle face. He wore a necklace with a cross on it.

"Oh, looks like the courts are taken," the silver-haired boy Choutarou remarked, disappointed.

Shishido suddenly nudged his kouhai. "Look at that boy's serve," he said, pointing at Mikata. (Perhaps if he ever discovered Mikata's true gender, he would have been mightily scarred. Maybe for life.)

That point was, Mikata had done something neither Shishido nor Choutarou had seen before. They would only see it again weeks later, when they themselves saw Echizen Ryoma.

Natsumaru had just unleashed a Twist Serve.

Oshitari found out Kuroki's identity later on in the day. He was describing Kuroki's kimono to his doubles partner Gakuto, when Hiyoshi butted into the conversation and said, "Oh, she must be the principal's estranged granddaughter."

"Never heard of her," said Atobe.

Gakuto said incredulously, "The principal has a granddaughter?"

Hiyoshi felt special because he knew something his seniors didn't. "It's all hushed up now but my father was around when it happened. Fifteen years ago, the principal's daughter did something that really humiliated the family, so they disowned her. She went to this school and fell in with a teacher and they..." He stopped there, searching for the right word.

"Made love?" Oshitari suggested.

"Banged each other?" Gakuto asked at the same time.

There was an awkward silence.

Then Hiyoshi said, "Yeah."

More silence.

"I see," said Atobe finally. "Let's never discuss this again."

"Okay," said Hiyoshi. It was the first time he obeyed Atobe without any reluctance at all.

Tennis seminar of the week: About the Twist Serve... Some pros use it too as a second serve. It's easier to get in than a flat serve once you master it and is good for putting your opponent immediately on the defensive.

(Ha ha, short seminar today. I will actually be toning down this section for the next chapters because I forecast more buildup than actual action in the future. Not that it seems like it right now. Ha.)

Chapter 29: Making a chance

Author's note: You have no idea how many errors I made with this chapter. I owe Asami-chann my life. Be awed by her beta-ing prowess.

Ch. 29 Making a chance

As she left Hyotei Academy behind her, Kuroki reflected upon the futility of it all. The people of Hyotei would never accept her. Her own mother had ruined any chance Kuroki ever had of going there. It was true what they said: In Hyotei there was no such thing as a second serve.

Of course, there was no need to dwell on that now. Kuroki was pretty certain where the female Hyotei regulars were. Hyotei had large facilities but there weren't enough courts for everyone so the boys were given priority. Like Kuroki herself, they were given second best to work with, no second serves. Ah, but they had to practise if they wanted to win.

Kuroki arrived at the street tennis courts on foot. It was occupied. The first thing she noticed was that there were two boys from Hyotei waiting to go on, one of them the boy with the ponytail she recognised from earlier. The doubles court was taken by two of the Hyotei girls and also by Mikata and Hanae. The other Hyotei regulars stood watching and Kyoko was also looking on. Kuroki's very own siblings had managed to usurp the other courts, but everyone was too busy starting at Mikata to notice that.

What a strange turn of events, Kuroki thought.

She didn't want to reveal herself to the people who knew her just yet. Just as she was about to make herself comfortable watching from afar, one of the two Hyotei boys turned around and noticed her. He was the one with the silver hair.

"Are you waiting for a court?" he asked politely. "It might take a while."

Kuroki immediately liked him because he happened to have manners. His type was a dying breed. "I'm not waiting," Kuroki said to him. "Those are some friends down there." She frowned. "Young man, please tell me what has occurred."

The young man Ootori looked very confused by Kuroki's mannerism and appearance. Forcefully stopping himself from staring, he cleared his throat and explained the story so far. "That boy down there hit this really weird spin serve," he said, finishing off. He pointed at Natsumaru, who was preparing herself for another serve.

Kuroki brought her hand up to her face and giggled. "Natsumaru has always been such a show-off. But I suppose the situation has improved since two years ago."

"You know him, miss?" (A/N If this was in Japanese, the word would be 'oneesan' meaning older sister or lady.) Ootori asked politely. If this was a tennis player who might present a future challenge, then Ootori wanted to know about him. Shishido asked no questions, but it was obvious he was listening intently for Kuroki's response by the way he was looking at her.

"Yes," Kuroki nodded.

She paused, and then began the tale, with the two boys listening...

Having heard about Seigaku's mighty reputation, Mikata Natsu was determined to join the regulars of the boy's tennis club from the very first day of school. Freshmen, as a general rule, couldn't become regulars, so it was Natsumaru's intention to simply join the club first.

She never anticipated what Captain Yamato (current Buchou of the time) would say.

"You can't join."

"Why not?" twelve-year-old Natsumaru furiously demanded.

"You're a girl, aren't you?" Yamato said. "You have to join the girl's team."

"I-Impossible! Nobody cares about the girl's team! I'm too good to be with them!"

("As you can see," Kuroki said with a polite cough, "Natsumaru had a few ego issues back then.")

And so, no matter how much Natsumaru fought and pleaded, Yamato remained adamant about his decision. Days and weeks passed, and still Natsumaru was refused a place on the tennis team, despite the many vacancies in those days.

Natsumaru honestly believed that Yamato had a grudge on her, and, being embittered about this, released her pent-up anger on the tennis court. Thus, she was spurred onto greater heights. However, because she was a freshman, she was hesitant to challenge a senior's position on the team. It was one thing she had never considered.

Then one day, Tezuka Kunimitsu, another freshman, challenged Yamato and won. Tezuka became a regular that day. This angered Natsumaru when she compared Tezuka's situation to her own, so she did the only thing she thought to do: she challenged Tezuka Kunimitsu to a match.

She lost. Tezuka's skill was akin to genius and Natsumaru began to realise that maybe she was not 'too good' for everyone after that. She also lost to Fuji Syusuke, thus confirmed her suspicions. She decided after that not to try getting into the tennis team any more. That was when she let go of her pride.

Natsumaru underestimated the wisdom and clarity of Yamato when she made that decision. That day, after practice, Yamato had a talk with Natsumaru. He said that he had been watching her play and that she was a truly talented young tennis player who had improved rapidly since coming to Seigaku.

"The girl's team needs someone like you," he said. "Go there and make your chance."

Those words made a deep impression on Natsumaru. Soon after, she joined the girl's tennis club.

Shishido's first reaction to the humbling story: "You've got to be shitting me."

"I assure you that I am not shitting you," Kuroki replied with all seriousness.

"Are you telling me that's a chick, then?" Shishido wildly pointed his finger at Mikata.

"I must admit, miss, it seems unlikely," Ootori put in.

Kuroki sighed.

"Believe me or disbelieve me – that is your choice," she declared. "There was one thing I wanted to make clear to you when I told you that story."

"What is it?" the boys asked.

Folding her arms under kimono sleeves, Kuroki nodded her head and replied: "Tennis is about second chances. What often stops people from taking the second chance is pride. Tennis does not function as well without the second serve. Am I right?" She looked up.

Shishido thought about his own situation: being kicked off the regulars, and about how Coach Sakaki never allowed second chances. He decided that the girl was right. A new sense of resolve came over him and he knew that he would become a regular of Hyotei again – no matter what the cost.

"Now that I have won your hand in friendship," Kuroki said, stirring him from his thoughts, "I believe that together, we can stop the match going on right now."

Both Shishido and Ootori were confused. Just as they were about to ask Kuroki what she meant, the girl in question stepped down onto the courts below. She opened her mouth and spoke:

"Stop right there."

The ball fell from Mikata's grasp. It bounced on the court, the only sound that resonated from it. Then the reactions came.

"Kuroki!" The Seigaku regulars.

"Shizuka-nee!" Kuroki's siblings.

"Who the hell are you?" The Hyotei regulars.

Smiling, Kuroki turned to the incredulous Hyotei girls and said, "I think you've played long enough. These boys would like to have a shot." She gestured towards Shishido and Ootori and moved out of the way so that the other girls could see them properly.

While the Seigaku regulars had absolutely no idea who Shishido and Ootori were, the Hyotei regulars immediately recognised the two boys. "Shishido-kun! Ootori-kun! If you want to play, of course we'll get off now!" They spoke collectively and before a minute had elapsed, they had all scampered off.

For a moment, none of the Seigaku girls could believe it. What an anticlimax, Mikata thought. She picked up the fallen ball and grasped it tightly, frowning.

They had been playing a good game, one that Mikata had been winning. Suma and Hanae were forgotten as the Doubles turned into Singles and the rallies became long and intense. Had Kuroki not interfered, Mikata was sure that she would have won.

Kuroki walked over to Mikata and gently patted her on the shoulder. "You must choose your time carefully before you make your chance," she told her with a dry chuckle. "Otherwise, you'll lose the impact."

Mikata froze, before tilting her head towards the kimono-clad girl. "You knew, didn't you?" she said quietly.

"About what?"

"That those girls... Their weakness..." Mikata glanced at Shishido and Ootori, who were simply standing there looking pretty.

"Yes," Kuroki said. "At Hyotei, those girls are discriminated against and the boys are given more consideration than them. I knew, because of their ingrained values, that they would step aside for a male Hyotei regular. Today wasn't a total waste of time. I found out a little about our opponents. I truly hope that the day will come when they'll be allowed their second serve."

Kuroki wore a sad smile on her face.

"Perhaps my ideals are a little left wing," she said.

Mikata shook her head slowly.

"You're so affable, you old lady. Sport doesn't suit you. We still have to win against Hyotei, right?"

Kuroki nodded. "Of course."

Just then, Kyoko spoke up: "Hey, let's play a little. Kuroki, your brothers and sisters are going to get bored."

Shishido and Ootori had already taken one court, although the others were free. Hanae was standing on one of the courts, enthusiastically gesturing towards her team mates while Hikaru stood beside her and brandished his miniature racquet proudly. The other siblings were laughing and in glee.

Kuroki could not help but smile at the sight.

And so, the eventful day drew to a close. School would resume the next day but for that brief segment of time, all was tranquil, almost still.

The next day...

The sun rose, shining brilliantly over Seishun academy as the students streamed through the gate. At the tennis courts, morning practice was already underway with extra vigour on the members' parts. It spelled the beginning of another hard day of work.

Ryuzaki Sakuno seemed particularly peppish that morning because now she was able to at least hit the tennis ball on the sweet spot. It had to be Ryoma's coaching. Sakuno gave Gamano Kaeru a good match that morning. (Well, a better one, at least.) While Kaeru's doubles partner Fuunare Saeko cheered and clapped for both players, one eighth grader on the team wasn't looking all that happy.

Toriyama Asuka.

The normally jovial and exuberant regular was not saying anything to anyone and spent the whole practice time looking down at her feet. She seemed angry about something.

"If it's not one thing, it's another!" Hanae remarked Kyoko. "Buchou, what do you think is the problem?"

"I'm not sure," the captain replied with a frown.

Noticing that something was up, Saeko glanced worriedly at Asuka. Something must have happened to the girl yesterday to make her likes this. Practice was usually a time when Asuka was upbeat and making witty comments... so... whatever 'it' was, it had to be serious.

None of the female regulars were to learn of the enormity of Asuka's dilemma.

Tennis seminar of the week: Apparently, PoT differentiates between the Twist Serve and the Topspin Serve. You see, in the dubbed PoT which I was watching, they called the Twist Serve the Kick Serve, which is the second serve I was talking about last chapter. That made me think Konomi regarded the Twist Serve and the Kick Serve as the same thing, when it was actually a mistranslation.

Meaning... I screwed up. Natsumaru hits the Kick Serve, not the Twist Serve, but since it's too late to change that around, let's pretend that Natsumaru is as awesome as Ryoma. 0.o

I want to shove a stick up Viz's -bleep-.

Chapter 30: The Prince of Golf

Author's note: This week's chapter is extra long, you'll be pleased to find. Someone happened to request Asuka/Momo pairing. I thought about it for a while and then decided Asuka/Momo it is... sorta. At the end of Episode 21 it's stated that Momo has an unrequited crush on someone in his year level. So let's use our imagination, shall we? 8D

(An does not exist in this fic. Lol.)

9/7/09: Just wanted to edit this chapter because of feedback I received for it. The golf in this chapter is meant to be exaggerated and not realistic at all; I'm sorry if you were upset by it anyway.

Ch. 30 The Prince of Golf

Asuka, it was fair to say, was off in her own little world. There were certain words repeating themselves over and over in her head, in a voice that sounded suspiciously like that of a man she knew:

Quit tennis. Quit tennis. Quit tennis...!

No! Asuka violently shook her head and wrung her hands. For the first time in her life, she was faced with a life-altering decision. Her inner turmoil threatened to erupt and take over her actions on the court. She couldn't play tennis very well at all today.

Meanwhile, Kaeru and Sakuno's match was still going on at a fairly vigorous pace. Suddenly, Sakuno mis-hit the ball completely. Stumbling backwards, Sakuno paled and gazed sharply at the ball's trajectory. It was homing in on Asuka's head. Because she was deep in thought, Asuka didn't notice her immediate danger at all.

Kaeru reacted spontaneously. With a huge leap, she bounded over to Asuka's side just before the ball got there. Then Kaeru quickly swung her racquet and hit the ball deftly into the fence.

Hearing the 'clang' of the impact, Asuka snapped out of her reverie. "K-Kaeru-sempai!" she stuttered upon seeing her senior standing so close to her. Kaeru normally kept some distance from loud people like Asuka.

Another thing was that Kaeru was actually frowning. "Concentrate," she commanded in a low voice. "You're worrying Saeko-chan."

It was rather strange to see Kaeru ordering people around, but then, she was so different when it came to Saeko. Almost like... a lover.

Oh dear, Asuka thought. She didn't mind boy love, but girl love kind of freaked her out.

Kaeru was noting the diverse, very unique to Asuka expressions flitting across the freckled face of the kouhai. It looked as if Asuka was acting herself again, at least for now. Kaeru's frown eased.

Once morning practice ended, Asuka's ill mood was soon forgotten by those around her.

Asuka was actually an amazingly athletic girl. Her room contained dozens of medals and trophies she had won over the years. Most of them were for golf, Asuka's great talent. Asuka also counted her tennis jersey among her most prized possessions, on account of the fact that it could actually keep her body warm, which was something a trophy was yet to accomplish.

Aside from that, though, Asuka was very fond of her tennis achievements. Although on some days she had to leave practice early because she had appointments with her golf coach, Asuka was as dedicated a regular as she could be. Considering that, it was no real wonder that she and her classmate Momo were fast friends. They had plenty in common to talk about, including their love for tennis and their disdain for certain "stuck-up and antisocial" individuals on their teams, "Viper" and "Frenchie" respectively. Asuka liked Momo but she didn't like-like him, contrary to popular opinion. Actually, truth be told, she was totally insensitive to the fact that he like-liked her. One day, when he said maybe on the weekend they should, um, eat hamburgers and, um, watch a movie, she just patted him on the shoulder and said, "There, there, my pubescent friend, you're just going through a phase. You'll get it over it by next week, no sweat. In the meantime, why don't you go read a dirty magazine or something?" That got him laughing. Maybe Asuka was smarter than her grades let on.

Anyway, during one particularly boring Japanese history lesson, Asuka and Momo were at the back of the class having an epic ruler fight. Asuka jabbed and Momo blocked with a sweeping gesture. Their rulers connected. Asuka and Momo stared into each other's eyes, trying to anticipate the next move. Suddenly, Asuka brought up her free hand and poked Momo in the eye. He let go of the ruler at once.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" As the ruler clattered on the floor, Momo brought a hand to his eye. "You bitch!"

"I win," Asuka said smugly.

Just then, the history teacher finally realised that Momo and Asuka weren't actually paying attention to his lecture at all. He was oblivious like that. "Momoshiro and Toriyama," he said sternly, "both of you stay in after class."

They were made to clean the desks.

"What a pain...!" Asuka grumbled as she got to work.

"My eye still hurts," Momo complained. "That was cheating when you poked me."

"You know when Tezuka-sempai says 'Yudan sezu ni ikou'?" Asuka said. "That's what he meant."

"I'm pretty sure that's not what he meant," Momo replied.

"How sure are you sure?" Asuka questioned him. "Are you guys one in mind and soul?"

"You seriously need to stop reading yaoi manga," he told her.

"Yeah, I know." Asuka sighed dramatically and leaned on one of the desks as she stared morosely out the window. "When it comes to guys, all the good ones are either gay or taken, and reading yaoi manga just reaffirms the idea."

Momo glared. "Are you implying something, Toriyama?"

"Of course I'm implying something, Momo-chin! What do you think?"

Just then, the history teacher finally realised that Asuka and Momo were too busy bickering with each other to do any actual work, so he threatened detention during their tennis practice.

After ten seconds, every single desk was scrubbed and cleaned.

Afternoon practice was somewhat entertaining that day. The moment the warm up laps were done, Kyoko's voice rang out across the court.

"Regulars, gather here! I've got something to say." Kyoko was smiling broadly. There was a rolled up poster tucked under her left arm.

"Looks like captain's in a good mood today," Kagura remarked.

Deciding that everyone was making their way too slowly, Kyoko suddenly screamed, "SHUT UP AND GET HERE QUICK!"

Hanae glanced wryly at Kagura. "You were saying...?"

Of course, all the regulars were used to Kyoko's random mood swings, so nobody acted surprised.

"M'kay." Kyoko exhaled as she looked at the faces of all the regulars expectantly. "The finals of the metros are coming up, so Hana-chan and I came up with a strategy to get us into the winning mentality!"

The girls looked at each other, confused yet kind of excited.

"We're going to learn about a famous tennis player who you should all know!" Kyoko announced.

The girls collectively groaned. All of them without exception had joined the team so that they could not learn something.

"Don't give me that!" Kyoko snapped. Then she coughed and looked chipper again. "Okay, so here's his picture." She slowly unfurled the poster she had been carrying. The poster was a large one once unfurled so Kyoko and Hanae held one end each and displayed it proudly. The heading of the poster showed a name.

"John McEnroe...?" the girls read out in unison. They all looked quizzical. "Why him?" The only one who didn't join in was Kaeru since she didn't know any tennis players at all, and McEnroe was just some Western name to her.

"Well, McEnroe's a former champion of Wimbledon," Kyoko explained, "so it's not like you have any right to that 'what-about-him?' look you're giving me now."

"Yes, but..." Saeko looked doubtful.

"Yes?" Kyoko pressed her.

Saeko bit her lip and thought for a moment before carefully phrasing her reply: "He's not... a role model, is he?" When Kyoko didn't answer, Saeko paled and went on quickly, "Grandpa told me that McEnroe used to abuse linesmen and get angry a lot." She hesitated. "So..."

"He was a perfectionist," Kagura said.

"Just like you, Frenchie," Asuka said tartly.

During the ensuing catfight between Kagura and Asuka, Hanae grumbled, "Why do you keep speaking in past tense? He's still alive!"

"Look," Kyoko said, "McEnroe was not the greatest in sportsmanship-" (Hanae cringed at the sound of 'was') "-but you can't deny his skills. He had a 'something' which took him to the top."

"Uh... sponsorship?" Mikata suggested.

"No!" Kyoko shook her head with exasperation. "No, he had ruthlessness. To be the best, you have to be prepared to push others aside and to be defiant. I'd like everyone to show sportsmanship, of course," she added hastily, "but the 'Champion's mentality' is something you either have or don't have. That's what made McEnroe win Wimbledon."

There was a grave silence.

"Ha! What a cheesy speech!" Both Mikata and Asuka doubled over in laughter.

"Twenty laps!" Kyoko barked.

"Yes'm."

Actually, Asuka understood perfectly what Kyoko meant. She knew how it felt to want something so badly, to be driven by a burning ambition. After all, that was what youth was for – to dream and to live out those dreams.

Asuka was still pondering this as she was getting changed when she felt someone's hand softly tap her on the shoulder.

"Um... Asuka-chan..."

Saeko stood behind Asuka, having changed back into her sailor outfit. She was smiling demurely.

"Asuka-chan, do you want have burgers with me today?"

Asuka was taking off her shirt to reveal a plain white sports bra. She reached for her uniform.

"Me? I thought you normally hang around Kaeru-sempai after school."

Saeko blushed cutely, which Asuka happened not to notice because she was putting on her uniform. "Kaeru-chan says she has to go to see the doctor," Saeko explained.

"Doctor? She doesn't look sick," Asuka remarked.

Saeko didn't say anything to that. "So, Asuka-chan, do you want to go?" she asked softly, timidly.

Asuka thought about it. "Yeah, sure," she said finally, and Saeko beamed. "I can grab a bite to eat before I go see my coach."

They were walking out of the building. Saeko, who was walking in step with Asuka, glanced at the red-haired girl and said inquisitively, "Coach?"

"Yeah," responded Asuka with a smile. "He's the guy I'm closest to."

"Closest to...?" Saeko started blushing. A coach – perhaps a handsome guy in his late twenties. His teacher-student relationship with Asuka resulted in dear Asuka-chan falling for him, which was the reason why dear Asuka-chan subsequently rejected poor Momoshiro-kun! GASP!

Oblivious to the conclusions Saeko was drawing, Asuka giggled and announced, "Hey, hey, Saeko-chan! I'd love a burger meal and a thickshake!"

"Y-Yes!" Saeko said promptly and proceeded to wait in line behind two boys in Seigaku school uniform: a short freshman and a taller boy with spikey-

-OH NO! MOMOSHIRO-KUN!

Saeko went very red and cupped her head with her hands. What if she somehow let on to Momo the fact that he had a love rival? Oh no. Poor Asuka's coach.

"Oh! Momo! Howdy!" Asuka was standing up waving from her table.

As Momo turned to look, Saeko's face grew steadily redder.

? It wasn't good, not good at all!

Momo was waving back. "Oh, hey, Toriyama! What a coincidence!"

"Sit with us!" Asuka grinned.

OH NO. Saeko felt like waving her arms frantically in desperation, not that it would do any good. It didn't help that she was the only one sensing awkwardness in the situation. Momo and Asuka were chatting like old buddies and the freshman boy – Echizen Ryoma – nonchalantly took his seat beside Momo. Saeko looked at him and felt somewhat relieved. He was like a replacement Kaeru for this situation.

In any case... dear, did those two boys eat a lot. Saeko felt a little sick just watching them.

"Enjoyed yourself?" Asuka asked dryly as Momo let out a huge burp. Ryoma didn't burp, even though he had eaten just as much as Momo had. "For a little guy, you can sure pack in the calories," Asuka remarked.

"Cheers," Ryoma said in English. Momo laughed.

"Hey, o-chibimaru," Asuka said to Ryoma. "Didn't you live in America before you came to Seigaku?"

"Hn." That was Ryoma's way of saying yes as he guzzled down some ponta. (Now how did he conjure a can of that out of nowhere? A mystery...)

Asuka cleared her throat. "You know, I'd love to live in America one day. That's my dream." Of course, she had another dream besides that too, but America was a great country by anyone's standards. They had more junk food outlets there, for instance.

Ryoma didn't seem to care.

"Oh," Momo said. "So that's why your marks in English aren't fail grades like the rest of your subjects, Toriyama."

Asuka promptly smacked him over the head. She yelled at him in English: "Yuu shtil got rots to rarn."

"Mada mada da ne," Ryoma said. To him, Asuka had sounded like his old classmates in America trying to speak Japanese. Those classmates happened to think that because they had watched an episode or two of Naruto in Japanese they'd automatically be able to speak Japanese without a horrible accent. Wrong.

Ryoma stood up.

"Are you done talking to your girlfriend, sempai? I want to get going."

Now it was The O-chibimaru's turn to get whacked over the head.

"IDIOT!" Momo yelled while chucking random objects at Ryoma's head. "She's not my girlfriend!"

"Yeah!" Asuka said indignantly. Saeko blinked before breathing a sigh of relief. Asuka then continued. "He only wishes I was his girlfriend, which doesn't quite constitute the same thing."

"A-Asuka-chan!" Saeko exclaimed, horrified. Surely her friend had stepped over the line this time.

Ryoma was laughing at how flustered Momo was getting. "Toriyama!" Momo shouted. "Don't say stuff like that!"

Asuka ignored him and turned to Ryoma. "You have sharp eyes, o-chibimaru. We should play a match. Like, right now."

"Hmmm...!" Ryoma looked up at the invigorated Asuka and shrugged.

"A-Asuka-chan!" Saeko exclaimed again. What was her friend thinking? If Ryoma could beat Kyoko, what chance did Asuka have?

In any case, Saeko realised that she had to go. She had Aikido practice this time at her father's Dojo. With a sincere, heartfelt apology, she left her friend behind in the jaws of the male species. Poor, poor Asuka-chan.

Momo, Ryoma and Asuka reached their destination without any delays.

It was very underwhelming when they got there.

"You didn't tell us you meant golf, not tennis," Momo said, annoyed.

They stood outside the gate of one of Tokyo's many golf courses. It was a private golf club and cost the equivalent of $2000 a year to join. Asuka didn't always play at that course but that was where she met her coach nearly every day. The grass was well-watered, the holes and courses were meticulously designed and everything about the club's maintenance seemed thorough. Of course, Momo and Ryoma couldn't tell all of this from the outside, although the silver, polished gates surrounding the wide exterior certainly indicated quality.

Actually, the club was one of several owned by Hyotei's Atobe, so that was how rich said boy's family was. Atobe's father, a keen amateur golfer and an even keener businessman, spent much of his free time playing golf at this very course. He was at a conference at that moment, though, so the young protagonists did not see him.

"I'm going," Ryoma announced brusquely and turned to walk away.

Asuka grabbed him by the stiff neck of his collar. "Scared of losing, are you, o-chibimaru?"

"Not really," Ryoma replied, wriggling out of Asuka's grip. He made no attempt to escape from the vicinity, though.

Momo grinned. "Guess we're going in!"

Momo discovered that day how much talent he had at golf. Golf was a game with a simple objective: to hit a ball with a club towards a hole, which was marked by a flag and situated on a green. They were on their very first hole when Asuka hit her ball just outside the green, while Ryoma got it halfway there. This was pretty good considering it was the first time Ryoma had ever picked up a golf club.

"Oh, is that so!" Momo called out. "Watch me go! Don!"

He swung the club with all his might.

"Dunk Smash!" Asuka gasped. "With a golf club?"

Momo grinned and fixed his gaze upward. He shielded the glare of the sun with his hand.

"I hit it so hard, I can't even see the ball," he said.

"It's at your feet," Ryoma pointed out bluntly.

Momo had missed the ball entirely.

"Ahh, golf's a stupid game," he complained.

"Mada mada da ne," Asuka and Ryoma said in unison.

They stopped and glared at each other.

"Looks like it's a match between us two," Asuka said.

"You're on," Ryoma replied firmly.

And so the match resumed. Asuka changed clubs and hit a deft shot on the ball which lifted it a short distance into the air. It fell and then started to roll towards the flag. It stopped about an inch or two away.

Asuka smirked. "The chip shot. Let's see you do that, o-chibimaru."

"Hmmm..." The Prince of Tennis considered. "Didn't you know the chip is a shot in tennis as well?"

With that, he managed to hit exactly the same shot as Asuka, and his ball landed about two metres from the flag.

Asuka tapped her ball into the hole and then grimaced. "Damn your awesomeness, o-chibimaru."

"That Echizen." Momo shook his head. How Ryoma could pull a shot like that first time playing golf was simply amazing. Ryoma sure had a lot of talent.

Then someone said, "Hmm, not bad."

Momo didn't realise that there was someone standing beside him and he turned to look at the stranger with surprise. It was a foreigner, a blonde-haired man in his late twenties. Momo thought he was British but he was actually an American. He had chiselled features to go with his crinkly blue eyes and he was smiling confidently in Asuka and Ryoma's direction.

"That boy has talent," the foreigner was saying in smooth Japanese. "But Asuka is... how do you Japanese say it...? Ah, yes, a tensai."

The only thing that was registering in Momo's brain was: young, handsome, calls Toriyama by her first name.

"Who are you?" Momo demanded.

The man laughed and extended his hand for a shake. "Oh, I'm sorry. The name's Sam Green. I'm Asuka's coach."

At the Fuunare Aikido Dojo...

As Saeko was putting on her Aikido gi, she felt a minor earthquake shake the building.

Oh dear. Earthquakes always came before something bad happened.

"I'm married," Sam Green explained hastily before Momo could kill him.

Momo immediately relaxed. "So, you and Toriyama...?"

"She practises every day," Coach Green said. "She'll surpass me within a few years and then she'll have to get a new coach. But for now, I feel happy to be coaching Asuka."

Momo didn't say anything.

"She's rare," the coach explained with a smile. "She has unbelievable ball-striking skills. I have hopes that one day she'll complete in the Lady's PGA tour." He said it that way because Momo probably wouldn't understand what the acronym 'LPGA' meant.

"Hmmm..." said Momo.

His mind went back to the burger store, where he saw a grinning Asuka's face.

"You know, I'd love to live in America one day. That's my dream."

So that was where Asuka's heart lay.

"She plays tennis too," Momo remarked.

"Yes, I know," said Coach Green. The smile faded a little from his face. "When I said to her, play a little of a different sport so you can develop other skills, I didn't think she'd pick up tennis competitively."

"But she really enjoys it," Momo said slowly, casting his mind back to the Japanese history lesson earlier. Asuka had been desperate not to miss tennis practice.

"It's good." The coach nodded. "But it's hard. She overtaxes herself, I think, so that she can keep up in both sports competitively. I did the same thing when I was her age, switching between golf and baseball. I eventually chose golf as my primary sport. I wonder, though, what Asuka will choose."

So that was what was worrying Asuka recently. Momo had felt it; he was, after all, Asuka's friend. There were feelings she tended not to show on the surface, but her choice between golf and tennis was really aggravating her, he could tell. He wondered what had caused Asuka to take that mindset.

"Ahh..." The coach was sighing. "I wasn't sure whether she'd turn up today or not. She seemed greatly upset when I told her I'd signed her up for a tournament next Sunday without her permission. It's strange. She normally jumps at the prospect of challenger tournaments, especially when there are talent scouts present. I meant it as a surprise." The coach went on sighing.

Next Sunday...

Momo realised with a start.

Next Sunday was the final of the Metros!

Tennis seminar of the week: Sure, golf and tennis have their similarities, but it's highly unlikely Ryoma would be able to pull of the chip shot in golf. Really. You see, they're both the same in effect: they're dinky shots, not meant to be too powerful but with clever placement. In tennis, slice is used to achieve this effect. In golf, slice is not your friend.

But hey, it's Ryoma. I'd pay to lick his feet.

9/7/09: Thanks to winsome-lover for these golf explanations, which I've copied from her review to this story. I feel as if all the readers should see it:

Par= the amount of strokes on the whole. ex. Par 5, par would be 5. Pars almost never go above 5, though I do believe there is such thing as Par 6. And they never go below 3.

Bogey= +1, or one shot more than par. And then there's double bogey, triple bogey, quadruple bogey...which are +2, +3, and +4. They're sometimes referred to as a double or triple.

Birdie= -1, or one shot less than par.

Eagle= -2, or two shots below par.

Hole-in-one, or ace= self explaining.

The clubs usually used (I'm pretty sure that 13 is the most clubs you're allowed to have)= sand-wedge, (gap-wedge), pitching-wedge, 9-iron (not usually with beginners), 8-iron, 7-iron (not usually with beginners), 6-iron (not always, but I have a hybrid, which is a fusion of both iron and fairway wood), 5-iron (same as 6), 4- 3- 2- and 1-irons (aren't common at all, but can be used). And then 7-wood, 5-wood, and 3-wood, then driver. The woods, I'm not so clear on, but those are the ones I definitely know exist. :)

And how did Asuka and Ryoma's match go?

Ryoma: "+ 9."

Asuka: "- 9."

Momo: "Wow! That's eighteen shot difference! Echizen's good to get such a high score!"

Coach Green: "You don't know anything about golf, do you?"

Momo laughed nervously.

Chapter 31: To Dream of Nationals

Author's note: Due to time restraints, this chapter is unbeta-ed. I apologise for any errors you spot and if you spot them, please tell me.

Before we begin this chapter, let's ask the OCs about their favourite anime/manga!

Kaeru: Dragon Ball

Saeko: Aishiteruze Baby

Kagura: Nodame Cantabile

Asuka: Gravitation

Mikata: Eyeshield 21

Kuroki: Akira

Hanae: Ouran High School Host Club

Kyoko: Fruits Basket

Hayamichi: Absolute Boyfriend

By the way, Frog-kun has not read all of these anime/manga and does not want to be accused of being gay. (Although, Mikata has good taste. Really.)

Also, I claim no ownership.

Ch. 31 To Dream of Nationals

To Momo's discredit, he forgot about Asuka's predicament for the time-being. What with the perils of Inui Juice in training, the fact that Ryoma was attacked by Yamabuki's Akutsu Jin as well as the imminent round of tennis to be prepared for, it was no real wonder. Momo didn't notice it when Asuka gazed... almost sadly... at his back. How all-consuming, then, was this dream for Nationals, huh?

Asuka spend the next few days pondering on it.

"And so in the 1980 final of Wimbledon, John McEnroe won the fourth set tiebreak..."

"Still going on about that, buchou?" Asuka asked Kyoko at Wednesday's afternoon practice. She was munching on a sandwich as she spoke.

Kyoko sighed. "Of course I am, Toriyama. And no eating on the courts," she added. Asuka hastily crammed the rest of the sandwich in her mouth and swallowed. Kyoko looked at her disapprovingly.

"I'm disappointed in you," Kyoko said finally, upon which Asuka looked up, alarmed. "Your motivation has been lack-lustre lately," Kyoko went on. "What goes on in your private life is none of my business but try to perk up, okay? Finals are coming up."

"Yes, captain..."

Kyoko glanced at the younger girl then shrugged. "I'm going to watch Hana-chan and Natsumaru's match. You coming?"

"S-Sure!"

On the adjacent courts, Hanae and Mikata were having a showdown in Singles. As Mikata bounced the balls, she called out to Hanae, "I'm going to beat you this time around, Hanae!"

"Give it your best, Natsumaru!" Hanae called back.

Mikata tossed the ball into the air and served.

"One-Two Punch!" Asuka exclaimed, becoming interested in spite of herself. Mikata's serve sped out wide at a nigh unreturnable speed. Asuka chose that moment to blink.

By then, the ball was already back on Mikata's side of the court. Asuka watched Mikata fumble and miss over the high-speed return that Hanae had delivered from her backhand.

"R-Return Ace...!" Asuka gasped.

"Hana-chan is one of the few players quick enough to return Natsumaru's One-Two Punch," Kyoko explained. "Looks like she's not going to be showing any mercy."

Asuka swallowed in anticipation.

Hanae managed to return Mikata's next serve as well. Mikata ran in towards the short return and struck the ball hard on the forehand side. It was such a heavy shot, landing in Hanae's right-hand corner. The blonde-haired girl immediately began to run for it.

She couldn't reach it, could she? As Hanae moved her feet and stretched for the ball, Asuka began to wonder. Merely from appraising that steely look in Hanae's gaze, Asuka could ascertain that the co-captain wouldn't let this rally slip her by.

Hanae planted her feet in the ground and struck the ball. She didn't swing the racquet back at all; she didn't rotate her body at all like she would normally do on a forehand drive. Still, the ball went over the net and Hanae took off from her feet again. She was still in the rally!

"That was a Squash return!" Asuka exclaimed.

"Yes." Kyoko nodded. "That's Hana-chan's specialty. You see, the rallies in Squash are so fast you don't get to use a backswing before you hit the ball. So..."

While Kyoko was talking, Mikata had driven the ball down the line again. Hanae sprinted to it and hit her Squash Return again. Asuka observed her. With her racquet, Hanae made a deft slicing gesture – not underneath the ball like a chip shot – but rather at the ball's side. It looked like a difficult shot to perfect.

Kyoko expained, "Hana-chan must use that shot because Natsumaru hits the ball two ways: hard and harder. The Squash Return is just a defensive shot."

"But how can you win on defence?" Asuka asked.

"Just watch," Kyoko said.

Mikata seemed to be in control of the rally. While Mikata was standing well inside the baseline, Hanae was about a metre behind. Asuka quite frankly didn't get what Kyoko was on about. Offence was surely the best defence in tennis. Natsumaru had to have the right idea.

And then it happened. Mikata drove the ball and Hanae lobbed it while on her back foot. It was such a short lob that Mikata quickly ran to the net in order to smash it.

"Chance ball..." Asuka groaned.

Mikata waited for the right moment, readying the racquet behind her. Then she smashed.

The ball went into the net.

"Damn!" Mikata yelled. "You tricked me, Hanae!"

Asuka was confused. "Huh?"

"That," Kyoko said, smiling, "was Hana-chan's Water Lob. It looks like an easy shot to smash but it has a spin on it that makes it very difficult to hit it in. Even the pros would have trouble smashing that one."

"I get it," said Asuka. "It might look like defence but Hana-sempai is actually forcing you to make a mistake."

Kyoko nodded. "That's right. For a hard-hitter like Natsumaru, Hanae-chan is so difficult to defeat. Hanae-chan has always won against Natsumaru."

Hanae was also destined to win that particular match against Mikata, breaking her and then proceeding to serve for the match: 6-3.

Which left Asuka to the thought: Seigaku regulars really were amazing.

Noting how impressed Asuka was, Kyoko explained, "It's a strategy we implement from the boy's team. We practise match play during practise, and by playing each other we get stronger."

"How obvious does it need to be fore you stop calling it a strategy?" Asuka asked before she could stop herself.

Kyoko glared at her. "Ten laps for your insubordination."

Asuka was not even sure what 'insubordination' meant. But she ran the laps anyway.

After golf which was always straight after tennis practice, Asuka decided to go straight home. For some reason, she felt she was lacking in energy. Maybe it was because of all those laps Kyoko had made her run throughout the day, or maybe it was that tiresome putting practice, or maybe...

Oh whatever. She was tired. No need to analyse it.

She totally didn't notice Kagura at the park as she walked by. (Of course, it was getting dark and the air was becoming disarmingly chilly.) Asuka didn't see Kagura, who, after tennis practice had adjourned, was still playing against the wall, over and over and over...

"Here are the results of your tests back," the Japanese history teacher announced at Period 1 the next morning. He passed out the test sheets that Class 2-8 had completed the week earlier.

Asuka simply groaned when she saw her test result. It was 14 per cent.

Momo, peering at her result, suggested, "Maybe you should study harder, Toriyama." He had gotten a 60.

"I'm pissed off," Asuka said frankly. "I don't have time to study except really late at night."

The girl sitting on the table next to Asuka's piped up at that moment. "Did you hear Kagura Deberou from class 2-7 got 100 on this test when her class did it? And she's got all this extra-curricular stuff going on too."

Asuka grit her teeth and banged her head on the table. "That stupid Frenchie. Thinks she's so perfect. You know, if I was born smart and pretty and sporty...!"

Momo patted her on the shoulder.

The next day...

Asuka didn't think of herself as a particularly complex kind of person. She wasn't like one of those characters in a book or something who had a tragic past or an exotic secret.

Truth be told, she was jealous of Kagura because Kagura seemed to be good at everything she tried. That was why Asuka was so resentful of her. Because Asuka could only be good at one thing – if she poured all her heart and soul into it. Even stretching the number to two was just too much to handle.

Stupid, wasn't she? So utterly stupid.

"Stop looking so smug, Frenchie," Asuka said to Kagura as they passed each other in the corridor.

Kagura stopped.

"I wasn't..." Kagura began.

Asuka stopped as well. She was clenching her fists.

Kagura said, "I'm not sure what's gotten into you lately, Asuka."

Asuka ignored her and walked on.

The two girls made a great show of avoiding each other over the next few days. Their relationship had always been strained and for most of the year they had barely been in speaking terms. They thought of each other as vastly different people, so different that they were incompatible. It was like offence vs. defense, fire vs. ice. To put it simply, they just couldn't get along.

And then... it happened. Kagura slipped up, academic-wise. She received a score of just 58 per cent on a math's test. It was a test Kagura had forgotten to study for. She was normally such a dedicated student; such falls were rare. Perhaps, though, it was inevitable.

When Kagura was not at her usual spot in the canteen at lunch that day, Asuka was the first to notice. Asuka had been thinking about how much she hated Kagura and so when she didn't see the girl in question, she was very worried indeed. She checked the tennis court, she checked the classrooms, she checked the rooftop, she checked the library. Everywhere Kagura could have been she was not. Eventually, because she felt the call of nature, Asuka went to the toilet.

All of the cubicles were empty except for one. There was a silence in the toilet, sort of. Asuka immediately got the feeling that something was awry. Pricking her ears, she heard a noise. Soft, soft. She could barely hear it, yet it sounded so loud.

Crying.

"Hey, are you okay in there?" Asuka asked the locked cubicle. Whoever was behind the door immediately shut up.

"H-Hey! Are you all right?" Asuka inquired again, genuinely starting to feel worried now. Sharply, she rapped on the door.

Then she heard a hoarse voice issue from the other side. "... Just... stop it..."

Asuka caught her breath. "Frenchie, is that you?" she asked incredulously. Was Kagura really crying behind that door? Well, she had seen her cry once before, at the District Preliminaries. Still... It was hard to believe that Frenchie showing weakness.

"J-Just tell me what's the matter," Asuka said. She felt embarrassed. She had no idea how to comfort crying people.

There was a sniffing sound on the other side of the door. "I failed my maths test..." Kagura's voice was low. To Kagura, anything less than top marks was a fail grade.

And Asuka was shocked. Really. "You, Frenchie, fail something? That's a laugh."

That elicited a pointed silence on Kagura's part.

"But... I get it now," Asuka said slowly. "You and I, we're not that different, are we? I thought you could do everything perfectly, but I get it now: you're just an overachiever."

"You're failing at comforting me," Kagura pointed out.

Asuka couldn't help but giggle.

And that was when Kagura laughed. (Albeit, a little hoarsely.) And then, she began to talk about herself. The way she spoke her words without stoppping, yet slowly and hesitantly, seemed to indicate that it was the first time Kagura had ever truly confided in someone.

"My parents want me to ace the high school entrance exams. The pressure gets tiresome sometimes, so I play tennis to let off steam. I'm just so naturally competitive, though... I don't know why I'm talking like this... That's why..." She stopped, and then said, "Do you know what I mean?"

Asuka nodded. "Perfectly." Then... "Oi, Frenchie, you want to be my Doubles partner?"

Kagura waited a long moment before giving her reply.

"... Not really."

"So, Asuka, have you made your decision about what you're going to do?"

Asuka looked up at her golf coach as they walked over to the driving range. "Yeah. Coach, I'm going to do my best. But... I can't come to the tournament on Sunday. I'm going to play tennis with my friends instead."

The coach merely looked at her as if expecting that.

"I..." Asuka glanced down at shoes, then looked back into Coach Green's stark blue eyes. "I want to play tennis at Nationals. Everyone tries their hardest and you sort of get caught up in the mood, you know?

"But next year, I'm not going to play tennis. I'm going to focus whole-heartedly on my golf. Just give me this one year to indulge myself. I have one choice. I'm going to use it."

The coach wordlessly put down the bucket of balls he was carrying.

"Silly girl, you don't need to ask permission from me," he said finally, heaving a great sigh. "You've got to follow your own instincts and do what you think is right. But still, make sure you don't get rusty."

Asuka grinned and reach for her club. "You bet, coach."

Contemplating the inviting blue sky and the cheerful future prospects, Asuka was of course unaware of how much she would learn to regret her decision in the days to come.

Tennis seminar of the week: I didn't make up the Squash Return. It's a move popularised by Federer in recent years and more players have been adopting it recently for defensive tennis. Of course, unless the person you're playing against utilises extreme power tennis, it's not really an effective shot. That's why you wouldn't normally see it in junior high school girl's tennis.

(… Which makes me think that someone ought to use the Squash Return against the Hadoukyuu just to see what happens. Hmm, that gives me ideas...)

Chapter 32: Seigaku vs Ginka

Author's note: I've decided to rename To Catch a Dream because it sounded a bit too much like fyerigurl's To Catch a Falling Star. I've contacted the author and she said that she's okay with the title of To Catch a Dream. Still... I don't like the thought of being a plagiariser, even though I only discovered fyerigurl's story after I started writing this fic. (To Catch a Falling Star is a great story, by the way, but I'm sure pretty much every fan of the girl team genre has read that fanfic already so it needs no introduction.)

Moving on... Today's a special update! You'll get the actual chapter and a special bonus story. There was no update last week because of that. I'm putting the bonus story before the actual chapter because it's set before chapter 32. This bonus story wasn't written by me, which you might notice by the different writing style. No, it was written by the lovely Asami-chann, my beta and the author of 50 things I will never do at Seishun Gakuen again! and The Search for Blood. (You should read her stories. They're awesome!)

Oh, and because it's been, like, two weeks, I'm sticking in a recap bit too... I get worried.

(You can totally skip this bit unless you're, like, really horrible at following storylines.)

The story so far:

Gamano Kaeru has only just started to learn how to play tennis. Still, she wants to go to Nationals this year! And so do the other female Seigaku regulars, who each have their own distinct personalities and motivations. Together, will they achieve their ambition?

It's getting closer to the final against the opposing Hyotei Academy in the Metropolitan tournament, but Seigaku's team has its own internal worries. Asuka, who was caught between playing tennis and golf, has struggled with her decision but has finally elected to play tennis with her team. Now we come to the day. But first... it's the semi-final action: Seigaku vs. Ginka!

Characters:

Seigaku

… It's been thirty one chapters. If you don't know their names by now, I'm a failure of an author.

Hyotei

Ono Yui: Third year. The only person in Hyotei who can control Suma. Likes Atobe.

Kamido Suma: Second year. A girl driven purely by instinct and an obsession for Atobe.

Jorage Migi: Second year. The elder of the Jorage twins; sister of Hidari.

Jorage Hidari: Second year. The younger of the Jorage twins; sister of Migi.

Minamino Usagi: ?

Yamada Tatsuya: ?

Akito Tsukiko: ?

Ginka

Suzuki Jin: (See Bonus Story, chapter 7) A boy who doesn't play tennis. Used to be in Kaeru's class in Seigaku but has recently transferred to Ginka. Likes Kaeru, but she has no clue. To put it simply, he's our male Sakuno.

The girl's team: ?

Bonus Story

Kyoko's Dilemma

Kyoko stood with her arms folded, watching over her team in a very Tezuka-like fashion. The only difference was she was smiling as she watched her teammates train. There was always a sense of pride and accomplishment that came with being captain of the girl's tennis team. She saw them grow every day to become fine young women and increasingly better tennis players.

"Watching again, Kyoko?" Kuroki said, standing beside the captain. Kyoko just smiled, looking back at the team as Kuroki fixed her racket strings.

Kyoko looked over at the match between Asuka and Kagura. Asuka was obviously taunting Kagura through the whole match. "Sometimes I just like to watch the team," she replied, "they're all growing so much, it's a little hard to believe."

"They are teenagers," Kuroki pointed out in a way that suggested that she wasn't one. Kyoko laughed a little. Kuroki would never change.

"I'll beat you next time, Frenchie!" Asuka said, shaking her fist in the general direction of Kagura.

Kagura smirked in attempt to hide the sense of pleasure she got off defeating Asuka. Hayamichi patted Asuka's shoulder in encouragement, telling her the traditional 'you played a good game' and 'you'll get her next time.'

"Makes you wonder how Tezuka deals with Momoshiro and Kaidoh, doesn't it?" Kuroki said.

Kyoko gave a small, almost upset smile. "Yeah, it does." She still felt obliged to prove to Tezuka that she was a worthy captain even though he had acknowledged her a few times before. She was determined to show him and finally be acknowledged the same way he acknowledged his team.

Tezuka sat outside reading his book for class. He had read it twice before – the more times he read it, the better he analysed and understood it – so he was really understanding themes and such that he never even noticed the first time he had read it. He gently pushed up his glasses as they began to slip down his nose.

"Oh, Tezuka," Kyoko said in surprise. She didn't expect to see Tezuka outside reading at this time of day. She always imagined him practicing his tennis or doing something for the student council. He was always busy.

Tezuka nodded. "Arai-san," he acknowledged before he looked back at his book. Kyoko's heart sank a little. She obviously still didn't mean enough for a simple 'how are you?' or 'how's the team going?' Then Tezuka lifted his head. "The finals are coming up, aren't they? Don't let your guard down." Then he promptly looked back at the book.

Kyoko smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Tezuka. We won't lose," she said and Tezuka looked up and nodded at her. She felt that warm, fuzzy feeling as she walked off, a smile bright on her face.

"Tezuka said something to her again, didn't he?"

"Everyone! Let's do our best!" she shouted, as she watched everyone train as hard as they could. She was pushing them to their limits and showing determination to win.

Kuroki didn't even have to reply to Hanae. Hanae just smiled and laughed a little. "That's our captain," she said in half-pride, half-mocking Kyoko. "Mood swings as fast as a tennis serve."

"Hanae, get back to training," Kyoko shouted across the court, her voice stern and with a hint of anger. But she settled down after a few seconds. She just went back to motivating the team as soon as Hanae started training again.

"Wow, the girls are training hard today, nya," Eiji said as he looked through the fence. Momo looked over in Asuka's direction. She was challenging Kagura again.

"Of course they are," Kuroki said, watching over the team. "Kyoko won't let us lose against Hyotei."

Momo nodded. "You can't lose. You just can't. You've been training really hard for this."

Asuka smiled and waved as she noticed Momo. "Hey Momo-chin! What are you doing here? Checking out the girls in short skirts again?" she asked rather loudly. Momo, in return, blushed a bright red.

Saeko, who was playing doubles with Kaeru on an adjacent court, gasped loudly. Asuka,whatareyoudoing?'tembarrasshim, she thought very quickly in her worried way. Kaeru tapped Saeko on the shoulder when she completely ignored Hanae's serve. In a call for Kaeru and Saeko to practice their doubles against a range of pairs, Kyoko had paired Hanae and Haymachi up.

"Saeko-chan. You were receiving," Kaeru said as she pointed the tennis ball down the other side of the court.

Kyoko walked (or was almost storming, rather) over to the new ruckus. "What's all of this?" she said. "Asuka, Kuroki, you're meant to be training. We have matches coming up."

Asuka rolled her eyes. "What happened to 'freedom'?" she asked under her breath. She was forgetting she didn't live in America again. "See you, Momo-chin, Kikumaru-senpai."

"Momoshiro, Kikumaru, twenty laps once you're done running," Tezuka shouted, folding his arms. He had told them to run a lap of the campus, hoping that his team members would be able to do that without him breathing down their neck. It seemed he was wrong. He looked at Kyoko and nodded.

Kyoko smiled and Hanae rolled her eyes. "There she goes again. I'm surprised she can still concentrate."

Omake:

"Momo-chin!" Asuka shouted. "Wanna get some burgers?"

-In the burger shop-

"Your captain was weird today," Momo commented.

"Yeah, she does that. Something about everlasting love and devotion-"

"You were trying to relate Kyoko-buchou's actions to yaoi manga again, weren't you?"

"Yeah…"

Momo sighed. "So what was Kyoko's dilemma?"

Asuka laughed nervously. "Saa… something to do with Tezuka, I think."

Ch. 32 Seigaku vs. Ginka

And so the final day of the final day of the Tokyo Metropolitan tournament began...

The female Hyotei regulars were among the first to make it to the tennis court. They stuck together in a close, tight-knit group, each girl saying, "The winner will be Hyotei." There was no one more eager than Kamido Suma at this chant.

While Suma kept up the chant, Jorage Migi piped up, "Yui-sempai, we're going to be playing Seigaku in the final, aren't we?"

The other Jorage twin, Migi's sister Hidari, whistled. "Well, that will certainly be something. Yui-sempai, you personally want to play that Atobe-sama hater – Mikata, I think – right?"

"Yes," Yui replied as she swept a cursory hand through her layered hair. "But don't forget, there's still the semi-finals. We may be playing Seigaku or Ginka."

Yui clenched her teeth, thinking of that arrogant tomboy Mikata Natsu and that pestering serve of hers, not to mention that awful haircuit of hers. Make no mistake: Seigaku was going down to Hyotei and not to any other school. As Suma sang: "The winner will be Hyotei!" Most definitely.

It had been too long, Seigaku's Gamano Kaeru thought. Too long since there had been any action. She was glad that finally the day had come for she and Saeko to test their mettle as a Doubles combination once more.

Organisation at the tournament setting was for once smooth and after all the regulars plus Hayamichi arrived, matches started in earnest. Kaeru had absolutely no knowledge about their semi-final match-up against Ginka. As far as she was concerned, that school was just a pointless obstacle. On top of which, their uniforms were plain and uninspiring. At least, that was what Hanae said. Kaeru didn't particularly care.

Doubles 2 featured Kagura and Asuka paired as a team. Despite Kagura's protests, Kyoko had paired the two eighth graders together on a whim, thinking that because of their new-found friendship, the two would play well together. How wrong that was. Asuka kept hitting the ball out at nearly every opportunity, and Kagura's footwork was sloppy. The two didn't coordinate at all.

Meanwhile, Hanae had whipped out a medium-sized black notebook and was writing furiously in it. Kyoko was glancing over Hanae's shoulder and giggled at what Hanae was writing. "What's this?" she asked. "Trying are to be Inui-kun, are you?"

Even Kaeru knew who Inui was. Inui was a somewhat notorious figure in the junior tennis world. Kyoko regularly bought the prototypes of Inui's juices and fed them to the team to see if they actually did cause one to hurl up one's breakfast. They did.

Hanae laughed and shook her head. "I couldn't play Inui's style of tennis if I tried." That was when Kaeru noticed that Hanae was carrying a calculator and was pausing in her writing every couple of seconds to work some formula out with it. Hanae continued speaking as she pushed some buttons on the calculator. "I'm working out match play statistics, since they can really tell you what parts of your game you're doing well and what parts need improvement. Number of unforced errors, percentage of points won on serve, number of successful volleys... That kind of thing." She went back to her writing.

Kaeru struggled to think of what she should say to that. "Smart," she said finally. The data would really help when it came to creating a training menu.

After Kagura and Asuka came off the court, having lost shamefully 6-1, Hanae told them flatly, "Toriyama, you hit eleven unforced errors to two winners. Deberou, you missed eighty-three per cent of your volleys. We're not pairing you two up ever again."

"Merci," Kagura muttered.

"Bloody Frenchie," Asuka said in an equally low voice.

Kaeru began playing with the strings on her racquet, knowing that after the fifteen minute break, Doubles 1 would commence. She was determined not to let Ginka take this set. Captain would hate it if Kaeru and Saeko left the team with a two set to love disadvantage.

Suddenly, Kaeru noticed someone watching her out of the corner of her eye. She snapped her gaze around to look at this intruder of her privacy. It was a fair-haired boy would looked... oddly familiar. Kaeru couldn't put her finger on it. Where had she seen him before?

"G-Gamano-san," the boy stuttered, and what looked like a faint blush appeared on his cheeks.

Then Kaeru remembered. "You... from my class?" Except she hadn't seen him for a while.

"Suzuki Jin," said the boy. "Don't you remember me? I transferred to Ginka two months ago."

"Oh," Kaeru blinked. "Now you must be enemy."

"No, I'm cheering for Seigaku!" Suzuki insisted, earning him glares from his Ginka peers.

"Thank you," Kaeru told him simply. Loyalty to his old school, now that was a good quality. Sort of. She wondered why he was the only boy cheering on the girl's team though. Shouldn't he be cheering on the boy's team?

He went a little redder.

"Good luck, Gamano-san!" he said in a very high voice.

Kaeru stood there wondering when she was going to play. "I wonder if it is time," Kaeru said, and turned to Saeko. "Saeko-chan?"

Saeko, who was valiantly restraining herself from laughter at the exchange between Kaeru and Suzuki (Kaeru was so clueless!), nodded when she was spoken to. "Yes," she said softly and firmly. "Let's begin."

Kaeru smiled then.

"Doubles 1 begin! Sakashita Takahashi pair versus Gamano Fuunare pair. Sakashita to serve!"

The girl took her position at the middle of the court. She was short, thin, spotty and sported stubby blonde pigtails. Yet for all that, she was rather cute. The other girl, Takahashi, had a slightly darker complexion and shoulder-length brown hair. Her nose was rather long.

Kaeru, tearing her eyes off of her opponents' features, darted to the side to retrieve Sakashita's first serve. As girls' serves generally went, it was fast enough for Kaeru to handle. She returned it and then promptly hopped to the net. There was a steely glint in her eyes.

"She's changed," Suzuki said suddenly.

All the girls on the team not playing looked at Suzuki, to his unending embarrassment. "Oh, Suzuki, I did not see you there," Hanae said in a pleasantly surprised tone.

Kyoko glanced at Hanae, wondering if he co-captain would become boy crazy at the sight of Suzuki.

"Please tell me what you meant about Gamano," Hanae said, calmly as ever.

… Maybe Suzuki wasn't good-looking enough. Thank heavens for that.

"Gamano-san didn't used to be so competitive," Suzuki said. "Right?"

"For someone who doesn't like tennis, how did you know that?" Kagura asked.

Suzuki blushed furiously. He felt like he was the subject of a slapstick comedy, for some reason, or worse: the sidekick who serves as comic relief.

But he stood by his belief. Kaeru had really changed, hadn't she? And in such a short space of time, too...

Kaeru was too focused on the game to know all of this. "Saeko-chan! Yours!" she yelled out as the ball passed her. She was at the net and the shot that Takahashi had hit was too fast for her to counter. Saeko was at the baseline, ready to return the shot in Kaeru's stead.

"Hyaa!" Saeko grunted, but very quietly, as if only to herself. The ball clung to the strings of Saeko's racquet, then Saeko flicked her wrist and the ball sped back over the net at a quick pace.

"Aikido Return!" Mikata and Asuka cheered. It was Saeko's signature technique!

At the net, Sakashita lunged for the ball and missed. Takahashi tried next to reach the ball, but the ball was elusive and landed in the corner. Takahashi sprinted, but the ball simply raced away.

On the other side, Kaeru and Saeko grinned at each other.

There was some delay before the next point started; Sakashita beckoned to Takahashi and the two girls conversed urgently in hushed whispers. Kaeru and Saeko could not hear what they were talking about.

"They're good, you know," Sakashita was saying somewhat gloomily. "Seigaku, I mean."

Takahashi glanced at the Seigaku girls waiting, before turning back to Sakashita. "I heard the boy's team forfeited against Seigaku without even trying. What a bunch of losers."

Sakashita nodded. "Yeah," she answered. "Whatever happens, let's not let the boys' example drag us down. We can do this."

They resumed play after that and surprised Kaeru and Saeko with the extra vigour in their steps and the added power to their strokes. Soon, they took a game off Seigaku's Fluff Pair. The score was 1-0.

"This isn't good," Hanae remarked. "It seems Ginka has some spirited players after all."

"That's very arrogant of you to say," Suzuki remarked, even though he was thinking precisely the same thing.

Kaeru, meanwhile, was unperturbed. And so the match progressed, each side taking one game from one another until the score was 5-4, Ginka's way. It was time to make a move or else Kaeru and Saeko would lose the match.

"Saeko-chan," Kaeru said to her partner suddenly. "I'm tired." She was telling the truth; as a fairly new player, she was still unused to long matches.

Hayamichi heard. "Oh no!" she gasped, eyes boggling. "Ginka only needs one more game to win it."

Suzuki gripped the fence hard. He gulped. Everyone was looking worried now...

… Except for Kaeru and Saeko.

"Please cover for me," Kaeru said quietly. "I need few minutes." Saeko nodded.

It was Saeko's serve. Sensing that victory was not far away, the Ginka girls moved moved up closer to return the serve. Saeko hit the ball as hard as she could, then planted her feet firmly on the baseline.

Sakashita wondered why Saeko wasn't moving up to the net. The point of Doubles was to have both players at the net. Well, if she was staying by the baseline, Sakashita could just take the point to her. She quickly hit the ball crosscourt.

But Saeko was ready for the shot. She took one step to the right and hit the ball back. It had a surprising amount of pace; Sakashita ran to the corner and returned the shot with a hard, flat forehand. Saeko stepped left and returned that shot. She hit a crosscourt ball again.

"Why are they only hitting the ball diagonally?" Suzuki asked.

Hanae explained. "In Doubles, crosscourt is the safest return. The net player covers the down-the-line shot, so it limits your choices." (See Tennis Seminar of the Week)

"Oh, that makes sense," Suzuki said. "So if you hit it at the net player, the net player can just put it away."

"That's right," said Kyoko. "Fuunare's trying to make this into a long rally."

The rally went on. And as the number of shots increased, the girls watching came to a realisation.

"Saeko's only making one or two steps!" Kagura frowned. "And the other girl's running all over the baseline."

Kaeru was standing at the net, unmoving. She was regaining her breath. Saeko was stalling the point well. She was using the technique he had invented recently: the Aikido Step!

One step right. She hit the ball. One step left. She hit the ball. Since half the Doubles court was less to cover than the entire Singles court, Saeko could reach the ball even when she cut down the number of steps she took and lightened the weight of each step. The Aikido Step limited the energy used in a rally; despite not being the fittest, Saeko could play for longer than anyone else.

Kaeru watched the rally go on for a while. Sakashita was panting heavily; meanwhile Saeko was breathing lightly through her nostrils as if she had just stepped on the court a minute ago. As Sakashita hit the ball one last time crosscourt, Kaeru darted towards the ball and took it with her forehand. The ball flew straight past Takahashi – it was Kaeru's Poach!

From that moment on, the game tilted in Seigaku's favour. Saeko would use the Aikido Step to wear down her opponents for a while, then Kaeru would clinch the winner with her Poach. Kyoko, the captain, felt an overwhelming sense of pride for the young Doubles pair.

"Those two have developed their first combination attack," she said. "They've come a long way. They certainly deserve the Doubles 1 slot."

Some fifteen minutes later, it was match point. Kaeru promptly attempted her trademark serve-and-volley. For the first time in the match, Takahashi hit a slice shot on the ball. Kaeru couldn't stop in her charge. The ball came near her feet, a difficult volley. Kaeru lowered her racquet, altered her grip so that the racquet face was pointed over the net chord, and then dived for the volley. She got there just it time to hit a slow return over the net. Sakashita, who had already been at the net, took the volley and aimed it between Kaeru and Saeko.

"Now!" Kaeru yelled.

Saeko didn't reply. She was already moving to cover the middle. The ball hit her strings, and Saeko hit the strongest Aikido Return off the forehand he had ever hit in her life.

It was a winner.

"Game and set to Seigaku's Gamano Fuunare pair 7-5," the umpire lifted his hand and announced.

Saeko cheered and dropped her racquet, seizing Kaeru in a fierce hug. Kaeru closed her eyes and smiled. They had won their match for the team. The others could take it from here.

Meanwhile, Sakashita looked at the ground, a little disappointed. Takahashi patted her on the shoulder and said:

"Hey, at least we did better than the boys did. That was a good game and we played it through to the end."

"Yeah," said Sakashita. "Wish we could have played the redhead and the French girl, though. They looked really bad."

(Kagura and Asuka looked horrified.)

After the four girls on the court shook hands with each other, the other matches began soon after. Kuroki played Singles 3 and won 6-0, wowing the people of Ginka with her wooden racquet. Hanae followed up the win with a 6-0 victory in Singles 2 soon after. Thus, Seigaku was admitted into the finals of the metropolitan tournament.

While the students from Ginka started on their way home about two seconds after the final set, Suzuki remained where he was. "Aren't you going?" Hayamichi asked him. The other girls were off warming up for the finals against Hyotei.

"No." Suzuki shook his head. "You girls are really good at tennis," he said.

Hayamichi laughed. "Oh, I'm not," she admitted. "I've only just recently started coming back to practice, but I couldn't play for so long, I'm quite hopeless now. I'm just a supporter, same as you are."

"A supporter..." Suzuki looked down at his feet and kicked a loose stone. He looked more philosophical than upset, though. "That's all I'm good for." He never was the type to stand out too much. Even if there was something he was good at, he'd always been afraid of something. Kaeru hadn't laughed at him singing, though, so that had made him slightly more confident. Still... People couldn't change just like that. Suzuki was painfully aware of that.

Hayamichi considered. "Think about it this way," she said finally. "If you support someone, they can't be the way they are without your help, right? And because you support us, if you decide you really want to something, we'll support you."

Hayamichi was a good sport, Suzuki thought. Her words really did make him feel better.

Just then, he looked up and noticed a group of girls in Hyotei regular outfits passing by. It had to be the team that Kaeru and the others were up against. All the girls were so pretty. The twins, the girl with the long silver hair who followed at the heel of the tall and graceful captain. And then there were others – a dark-skinned girl with braided hair, a blonde-haired girl who looked so slim she might have been seriously underweight and then there was a girl who looked like she was a geisha, except without the kimono. What a motley bunch. Suzuki was not sure what to expect from them.

The Hyotei girls stood waiting by the courts for about five minutes until the Seigaku girls arrived, led by Kyoko. Kyoko looked at Yui and nodded firmly. Yui smiled, a little unpleasantly, and the captains shook hands. The two captains then turned back to their respective teams. Hayamichi and Suzuki joined the other girls who were looking up at Kyoko expectantly.

"I've got the draw worked out," Kyoko announced. "I know it's unorthodox, but bear with me."

Kagura and Asuka glanced at each other. Then Kagura asked, "You're not pairing me up with Asuka, are you?"

"Of course not," Kyoko grimaced. "That would be silly." She cleared her throat. "Doubles 1 is our Fluff Pair, Gamano and Fuunare."

"Fluff Pair?" Saeko said, confused.

"We came up with that name because you two have such a fluffy, gay relationship," Asuka explained.

Suzuki looked mightily alarmed.

"We're not gay!" Saeko insisted hotly. (After all, Saeko liked Kaidoh, but that was something everyone wasn't supposed to know.)

"Singles 3," Kyoko continued, "is Deberou and Singles 2 is Hanae."

"That seems pretty orthodox," Mikata said.

"No," Kyoko said. "Natsumaru, you're playing Singles 1. I'm playing Doubles 2 with Kuroki."

Tennis seminar of the week: Imagine a birdseye diagram of a tennis court. Now imagine that there are four dots on the diagram; these represents the Doubles players. Two dots are close to the net, which is at the middle of the diagram. The ones close to the net are diagonally opposite to each other, so one is on the left-hand side and the other on the right. Now there are two other players in Doubles and they are situated at the baseline, which is at the very top or very bottom of the diagram. The one at the top (A) is directly opposite of the lower net player (C) , and the baseliner at the bottom (D) is directly opposite the upper net player (B). Now you have the standard Doubles formation.

Imagine if player D hit the serve to player A. Player A can, from his/her position, hit the ball either down the singles line or pretty much anywhere diagonally crosscourt. Do you understand that? Player A has better reach from that position on the baseline to the crosscourt shot. That's why crosscourt is the safest shot in Doubles.

Now, look forward to the next chapters because we're finally seeing epic multi-chapter tennis. Aren't you as happy as I am?

Chapter 33: Don't get it

Ch. 33 Don't get it

Hyotei's Doubles 2 combination: Akito Tsukiko and Yamada Tatsuya. As neither of the two girls were particularly outspoken, not much was known about them.

Akito Tsukiko was a tall girl with two wispy, shoulder length blonde pigtails, a pinched, gaunt face, and limbs which were like sticks. She was so thin that one was inclined to think that she was an anorexic. That she was scoffing down a packet of potato chips and guzzling a can of soda really didn't go with her waif-like figure.

Then there was the girl with the dark, braided hair who was Tsukiko's partner. Yamada Tatsuya had darker skin – not black but dark enough to be instantly distinguishable as foreign. Because of that her nickname was 'Gonzales'. Her father was Japanese and her mother was Chilean so Gonzales had been brought up speaking Spanish before coming to Japan for the year. She was thick-limbed and a stronger build than Tsukiko. In other words, she was Tsukiko's polar opposite.

"What a weird pair," Hanae remarked, blinking. The other regulars nodded in unison.

Tsukiko noticed the girls staring and shrugged at the sight. "I want this match finished quickly," she complained. "I'm so hungry!" This said as she wolfishly devoured the last of her chips.

What an odd sight – a thin, dainty girl eating like a pig, Kagura thought. "I guess there are some people who can eat as much junk food as they like and still be skinny," she said.

"I hate types like that…" Hayamichi muttered darkly. For Hayamichi, it was a struggle to lose weight, no matter how well she ate and exercised. "Come on, buchou, Kuroki!" She started pumping her fist in the air energetically.

It wasn't like Hayamichi to get riled up. Kyoko and Kuroki stepped on the court, feeling as if Hayamichi's attitude was rubbing off on them. They couldn't let Hyotei win.

Ono Yui was smirking. "I don't care if that is Seigaku's captain playing; she won't be able to beat our Doubles 2 pair!"

The Jorage twins looked as if they were about to add something but just then, the chair umpire raised his arm and announced,

"One set match! Akito and Yamada versus Arai and Kuroki."

The match was starting.

Kuroki bounced the ball slowly in her hand then looked up, sharply, aiming for the corner she was going to hit at. The fire serve of the match was vital in establishing her presence in the rest of the proceedings. With this in mind, Kuroki carefully tossed the ball into the air and served.

Tsukiko was receiving. As the ball went over the net, Tsukiko realised what Kuroki was trying to do. She had hit a slice serve, meaning that the ball would bounce out wide to her forehand. It was an advanced serve, requiring great skill and technique; Tsukiko began to run for it.

Come on… At the net, Kyoko tensed herself, preparing for Tsukiko's return. If the girl was caught out of the position, chances were that Kyoko would have an easy volley. Kyoko was predominantly a singles player but like a lot of beginners, when she had started she had played a lot of doubles. She could anticipate the crosscourt return and ran to the right.

But Tsukiko was quick. Before the ball had gone past the doubles court, Tsukiko had ran it down and she hit it down the line.

Kyoko gave an involuntary gasp of exclamation. She had not expected Tsukiko to return Kuroki's slice serve so easily. Kyoko had been wrong-footed!

Damn it, Kyoko thought, thinking the point had been lost. Then she heard a 'pok' sound. The ball was being hit. Kuroki had moved to cover Kyoko and she was now returning the ball. Kyoko breathed a sigh of relief and readied herself for another volley.

She noticed Tsukiko's partner – Gonzales – dashing over to the side. Gonzales was intercepting the ball; she had tracked the ball with her sharp eyes and stepped forward to hit with her forehand.

It was as if Gonzales's movements were in slow motion. Kyoko's eyes were wide as she watched Gonzales fire such a heavy forehand off the ball that the ball went as fast as a bullet. Kyoko could only narrowly dodge out of the way. Less than a second later, she heard the ball hit the fence. CHING! It certainly sounded heavy.

Kyoko didn't realise just how much danger she had been in from that shot until she heard that CHING sound which broke the spell of silence. Glancing up at her team, she noticed that everyone looked shocked at what had just happened.

"I didn't think a girl could hit the ball that hard," Saeko remarked.

"A speedy player complementing a hard hitter," Mikata said slowly. "What a combination."

As for the Hyotei girls, they were looking mightily pleased. The Jorage twins had managed to conjure up some pompoms and were dancing together in seamless coordination. "Go, Tsukiko-chan!" they cheered. "Go, Gonzales-chan!"

"Don't get it," the girl referred to as Gonzales said simply. It was the first time she'd spoken.

Tsukiko simply burst out laughing. "That's the only thing in Japanese Gonzales knows." Then she turned around and started to rapidly converse with Gonzales in Spanish.

Kyoko and Kuroki glanced at each other. This was an intimidating tactic that Tsukiko was using. Tsukiko could understand them yet they could not understand Tsukiko when she spoke with Gonzales. Being a genius with languages sure had its good points.

"We just have to get our heads over it," Kuroki said in a low voice. "Then we can press on."

Kyoko nodded firmly.

"Good," Kuroki said. "Let's start our counterattack."

"Don't get it," Gonzales muttered in Japanese.

Asuka snorted. "Now that's what I call a catchphrase."

And so the match went on. Gonzales and Tsukiko were an excellent combination but Kyoko and Kuroki tried just as hard as them. It was only a few games and everyone was breathing heavily and perspiring. The watchers couldn't take their eyes off the match.

"I can see why Kyoko-buchou wanted to play doubles 2," Mikata commented. "This is such high standard of a doubles 2. Buchou must have had some kind of insight."

Over where the Hyotei girls were being spectators, Yui was actually smiling. "That's our doubles 2 pair – they can give Seigaku's top player a run for her money. Our doubles 2 is only just below our doubles 1, playing-wise."

"Yeah," Migi nodded. "Last time, we only…"

"…just won in the tiebreak against them," Hidari finished.

The twins glanced at each other.

"Yeek! We have to try harder!" they both said loudly and they hugged each other.

They were making such a racket that their team mate Minamino Usagi, the solemn girl who didn't say much, actually turned around and said, "Shh! Respect the players!"

Just then, the last shot of the current game was hit. Kyoko had pulled off a cunning drop shot to bring the game score up to 2-2. The service had now come full circle; it was Kuroki's turn again.

Without any kind of false deliberation, Kuroki hit a flat serve down the centre line – she was aiming for an ace. But Tsukiko got to the ball and hit it back easily. As her racquet connected with the ball, she spoke: "Ahh, I'm hungry… Anyway, how would hit the ball hard with a wooden racquet?" It was a taunt, as biting as the wind that had suddenly set in. Gonzales, who was used to a warmer climate than Japan's, shivered involuntarily.

Kuroki didn't react to the perceived jibe at all. She briskly made her way to the ball and looked at it, concentrating as she hit it. It was right in the middle of the sweet spot. It was where she always managed to hit the ball.

Her shot had a surprising amount of pace to the Hyotei girls. Gonzales ran to the fast ball and hit it with her forehand. BAM! Right down the middle.

"Mine!" Kuroki called as she reached for the ball. Kyoko skipped out of the way to allow her room.

And then Kuroki, with her wooden racquet and gut strings, managed to hit the ball right back at Gonzales with exactly the same power she had used. Gonzales flinched then brought up her racquet in a purely defensive gesture.

Kyoko smiled grimly as she saw the opening. She dashed up towards the short return Gonzales had hit and sent a deep volley down the line, passing both Tsukiko and Gonzales. A clean winner.

Kyoko swung around and flashed the peace sign at Kuroki. She was feeling exuberant; they could manage a counterattack together. Kyoko felt confident playing with Kuroki. Kuroki was strange, in a way, because she had played with a wooden racquet until she was quite expert at it. Actually, she had never really played with a regular racquet. As for Kyoko, she was a strong player herself; strong enough, perhaps, to crack the solid pair she was facing.

"Game to Seigaku, 3-2! Change ends," the umpire announced after five more minutes of play.

Kyoko smiled to herself. And that was the confirmation, wasn't it? She could do it.

Because five games had been played so far in the set, there was a short five minute break before the match would recommence. Kyoko and Kuroki were wiping their faces with towels, saying nothing to each other. They were quietly feeding off the other's confidence. Meanwhile, Tsukiko and Gonzales were still standing and were yabbering away to each other in their other language.

"They are stronger than we expected," Gonzales was saying ruefully.

Tsukiko was shaking her head. "Not losing hope, are you, señorita?" Tsukiko was thinking about how much she would love to have some takoyaki, although any kind of food would probably do. Mmmm, steak.

She looked up as Gonzales went on speaking.

"I am not losing hope in the match," Gonzales was stating firmly. "They are strong. I acknowledge their strength. But we are stronger." She said this with a perfectly straight face and without any boastful inflection.

Tsukiko smiled. Even though her stomach was rumbling. She was absolutely famished.

"I have a plan," Gonzales said suddenly. She was glancing sharply towards Kyoko and Kuroki. "If we carry it out well, we definitely will win."

"That's right," Tsukiko said softly. "We promised to win together." They shared a bond; they weren't just doubles partners – they were friends. Perhaps this friendship was what kept them together now, trying their best, Tsukiko thought.

She remembered when she had first met Gonzales, when she had been frightened and alone...

Tsukiko shook her head. This was no time to think about that. It was time to play the match. Their short break was nearing its end anyway.

After a few more minutes of rest, the girls were interrupted by the chair umpire. He announced, "The doubles 2 match will resume now. Yamada to serve!"

"... Don't get it," Gonzales said in Japanese. Really, it was the only thing she could say.

"Aaah, hungry..." Tsukiko groaned.

Then the two girls looked at each other and smiled. Together, they got to their feet together, pumped up with the desire to win. Truthfully, the match was only really just starting.

Tennis seminar of the week: Let's talk about my character influences today! When I created my Original Characters, I of course based them on some tennis players that I know. For the girls taking part in the current match, they were as follows:

Kyoko: Ana Ivanovic. Because she's hot. Well, Ivanovic is one of those players who is both gorgeous and really talented at tennis. I've the feeling Kyoko's the same in that department. (coughSuecough)

Kuroki: Evonne Goollagong. I've actually never seen the lady play, but she's one of those tennis greats. Her generation was quite a bit different from the current generation of tennis players, playing-wise. I have great respect for that generation. Maybe Kuroki should have gone to Rokkaku.

Gonzales: Fernando Gonzales. See the similar name? Lol. Gonzales is one of the top male players and is well-known for his powerful forehand. Eh heh, I guess Gonzales is a carbon copy OC. XD

Tsukiko: I had no real model for her; I just needed someone to complement Gonzales. Her eating a lot yet being skinny reminds me of me. Ha ha ha ha. I guess she must be the self-insert, even though she has basically nothing else in common with me.

Announcement: As of today, I've also begun serialising another weekly fic, called Prince of Ponta. It is (would you believe it?) a RyoSaku. Romantic comedy, yadda yadda yadda. Go check it out.

Chapter 34: Game, Set and Match

Author's note: This is the final chapter. Please see my profile for more information about this. A crappy ending is better than no ending at all.

Ch. 34 Game, Set and Match

When the match resumed, a hush settled over the Seigaku and Hyotei onlookers, a hush that precedes the start of a particularly enthralling game. Kuroki noted the silence with a grim satisfaction and nodded as she watched Tsukiko pick up the ball and walk deliberately to the service line. The match, at the score line of 3-2, was picking up where it had left off.

Despite the fact that she had only just come back from a break, Tsukiko was forced to mop her dripping forehand with the back of her hand before she started bouncing the ball. She wasn't the only one who was sweating. Gonzales stood hunched by the net and sheens of sweat were visible on her dark-toned forehead.

We've got them cornered, Kyoko thought. Her own sweat wasn't visible because she was wearing a headband but she ignored the fact that the headband was damp. She would just need to wash it later.

Tsukiko bit her lip and then tossed the ball into the air. Her face was screwed up in concentration. A fly buzzed by her face but she didn't notice it at all. All of her energy was focused onto serving the ball into the corner where the returner – Kuroki – would have a hard time reaching it. She succeeded in delivering the ball so that, as it whizzed over the net, it bounced directly on the centre line. Kuroki ran to it, her racquet ready at hand. She hit the ball with her one-fisted backhand, and she never failed to hit such a shot in the middle of the racquet's sweet spot.

Tsukiko evidently expected as much. As she dashed towards Kuroki's fast paced return, there was a small smile on the corner of her mouth. Kuroki Shizuka was a good player, yes – but Akito Tsukiko was a better one. Tsukiko waited until the ball was in her range, took careful aim and then hit it with a forehand. As her arm was starting to go through the motions of a followthrough, it stopped. Tsukiko was still smiling.

The onlookers were confused.

"What? She's not doing a followthrough?" Kagura asked incredulously. She looked around at the others to see if they had any answers but everyone was just as nonplussed as she was.

Kaeru was frowning. She remembered when she had just begun tennis and the regulars were helping her learn, they had stressed to her the importance of a followthrough. "Not having one weakens your strokes and hurts your arm," they'd said. Kuroki in particular had been especially firm on the matter.

That was probably why the ever-calm Kuroki was starting to look rattled now, Kaeru thought as she turned her sharp gaze towards the older girl. She was right; the beginnings of a thunderous frown were forming on Kuroki's face. And then Kaeru shifted her sight at the ball. She saw Kuroki hit it, and then she started to mirror the frown on Kuroki's face.

She'd figured out what Tsukiko was doing.

At that moment, Kuroki chased down the ball and hit it hard. Gonzales tried to return it before it raced past her but it was no use – Kuroki had hit a clean winner.

"Yes!" Saeko cheered.

Kaeru was silent.

A few more points later and Tsukiko's ploy was revealed.

It was rather obvious when suddenly there was this snapping sound and Kuroki took a moment to stare at her racquet. Her strings were broken.

"Uh oh!" said Asuka.

All the girls in the team looked at each other in dismay. Something like this could really take a player off her rhythm, even if Kuroki did take out her spare racquet.

This Kuroki did. But then, as the members on her team looked at her with concern, she shook her head and reassured them: "I will continue on."

It was so much like her. For all her wisdom, she was just a stubborn old bird inside. Maybe that was why the others looked up to her so much.

And so the match continued and eventually it reached its end...

Game, set and match.

These are the words that are uttered after the final point in a tennis match. It's not until then that everything is over, that the endings of the beginnings have come and there's nowhere to go after that.

But any tennis player knows that's a lie. There always is somewhere to go. There always is somewhere to improve. Tennis is about second chances.

Seigaku won the doubles 2 but failed to win the doubles 1.

For the first time, Kaeru felt crushed by the weight of defeat. She had grown pride in her skills and improvement and she didn't realise that she was starting to attach importance to the concept of winning.

So when the words were uttered: "Game, set and match to Hyotei," she felt for a moment as if something has swallowed a part of her and dragged it into misery. But the moment was brief, very brief – because after that Saeko gave her the brightest smile she had ever seen.

"You taught me, Kaeru-chan," she said. "You taught me how to master the self. I'm really grateful for that."

And so with a final embrace, the two of them walk off the court together. Kaeru's legs felt as if they were exuding a dull pain, but at that moment, she refused to consider it.

Kagura lost too. But this time, she didn't scream and yell in frustration and Kyoko didn't need to slap her. After the last point was played, Kagura looked towards her captain and saw not disappointment there but pure, unmitigated pride.

It was enough to make Kagura feel as if she really had won. She had played the best tennis in her life, after all.

Only a few weeks after the Tokyo Metropolitan tournament, Tezuka Kunimitsu left for Germany.

His teammates were the ones who saw him off at the airport. Kyoko did not go and see him because her role was somewhere in the background.

But she was the one who did see him the day before he left. She saw him at the bookstore but she did not speak to him. Instead, she watched him and thought: "He'll recover from his injuries."

Kyoko would never forget about Tezuka because he was the one who taught her about second chances. Even after being hit and bullied as a first year, he could still bounce back and be strong. He became captain of the tennis team himself. Kyoko admired him.

When all of a sudden, Tezuka looked up and met his gaze with Kyoko's, she smiled at him, as if that one gesture could repay everything she felt she owed him. It couldn't but Tezuka appreciated it and showed it by nodding at her.

That was the last time in months that she saw him. When he came back, he led his team to Nationals.

Kyoko herself had a few things to be proud of. At the Tokyo Metropolitan finals, her team managed to overcome Hyotei's lead and take the crown from behind.

Hanae played singles like she had never played it before. She played with an enthusiasm and gusto that showed that she could go further than she had thought possible up until then. This was not the Hanae who was distracted by little things – this was the girl who played and fought for every tooth and nail.

"Love does mean something in tennis, you know," Hanae said afterwards, smiling. "If I didn't love the game, I couldn't have come this far, could I, captain?"

That was the truth. Maybe Hanae was just happy because she got the one-up on Fuji. Or maybe she was just happy because she was happy.

Right after that was the final showdown between Mikata and Yui.

It ended up going for a while, going into a tiebreak. On match point, Mikata served a fault and the Hyotei girls let out a cheer.

To which Mikata smirked. "Didn't you know there really is such a thing as a second serve?" And with that, she served a second serve ace.

Afterwards, the girls like to think fondly of their victories in tennis. Although they didn't get quite so far in the Kanto Regionals, the season shaped up to be better than they had ever anticipated before.

The memories of their matches begin to blend together as the months rolled by, but there were always distinct memories to pick out and examine.

Eventually, a whole year has passed.

Saeko becomes captain of the tennis club, with Kagura as the vice-captain. Saeko's matured a lot within. As for Kagura, she's still not the friendliest of people, but she's well admired for her determination and grit.

True to her word, Asuka quits tennis and pursues golf. Early in the year, she moves to America and regularly sends postcards back to her friends in Japan.

The ninth graders have graduated. Mikata hits puberty for real and is very disappointed when she finally begins to grow breasts. Apparently, she gets annoyed because guys hit on her instead of girls these days.

Kyoko settles down a bit after graduating, although she aims to become a tennis coach like Ryuzaki-sensei. She still continues to support Tezuka.

Hanae continues to pursue tennis. She's now training to become a pro. The others wish her lots of luck.

Kuroki doesn't play tennis except at get-togethers. Even so, her skill remains much the same as ever. The others wonder if she really did quit after all or if she practises hard in secret, being the stubborn old bird she is.

And Hayamichi... she becomes a manga-ka. Her first manga is a sports drama based on her years in middle school. It's proven to be quite a hit so far.

The only one whose current whereabouts remain a mystery is Kaeru.

At the end of the year, she transferred out of the school as quietly and unobtrusively as she had entered. But she took her tennis jersey with her. She doesn't regret a thing that's happened all year. She holds on to that tennis jersey and to her memories and continues to walk her path. Because that's what playing tennis has taught her.


End file.
